INEQ Keynote: Not Just Boxes: Living at the Intersections of Race and Gender

Event Description: 

This talk explores intersectionality as a critical framework for understanding how race, gender, and other social categories interact to shape the lived experiences of marginalised communities across Europe. Drawing on empirical research and policy analysis, the presentation will examine how structural inequalities persist within education, employment, and leadership, particularly affecting Black women and other racialised groups. The talk will reference key EU initiatives, including the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan (2020–2025), the Gender Equality Strategy (2020–2025), and the Opinion on Intersectionality in Gender Equality Laws and Policies by the Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities. These frameworks underscore the EU’s commitment to addressing intersectional discrimination and promoting substantive equality. By centring intersectional analysis, the session aims to foster inclusive policy-making and institutional transformation that reflect the diverse realities of European societies.

Timings: Tuesday, 21 Oct 2025, 13:15–15:15
Format: Online

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Speaker: Professor Victoria Showunmi

Professor is a leading academic and thought leader in the fields of gender, race, and identity, with a reputation for blending rigorous scholarship with real-world relevance. Her work has shaped national and international conversations around inclusive leadership, workplace equity, and cultural transformation.
Drawing on her own lived experience navigating the academic and professional landscape, Victoria brings a potent mix of resilience, empathy, and strategic insight to her talks. She speaks candidly about the challenges of systemic bias and the importance of cultivating environments where diverse talent can thrive. Her engaging style—infused with humour, energy, and authenticity—makes her a standout speaker for corporate audiences seeking to deepen their understanding of inclusion and drive meaningful change.
Victoria’s sessions are not only intellectually stimulating but also practically grounded, offering actionable strategies for leaders and teams to foster belonging, challenge assumptions, and lead with purpose. Whether addressing senior executives, HR professionals, or emerging leaders, she delivers transformative insights that resonate across sectors.

Discussants:

is a Professor of European Societies and their Politics in the Centre for European Studies, University of Helsinki. She was previously Professor of Gender Studies at Tampere University. She directed the European Research Council (ERC) funded Consolidator Grant project , which studied the European Parliament’s political groups’ gendered practices and policies. She was the Distinguished Visiting Professor of Gender and EU Studies at the University of Tübingen, Germany (2022-2024). Kantola obtained her PhD in Politics at the University of Bristol in 2004 and became Docent in Politics at the University of Helsinki in 2007.

(DSocSc, docent, University of Helsinki) holds a position as a university lecturer in social psychology at the University of Helsinki. Currently (2024–2026), she works as a university researcher at Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies. She does multidisciplinary research that has focused chiefly on discourses of violence, gender and intersectionality, and affect and affective-discursive dynamics of oppression and resistance. Her Collegium project focuses on the affectivity of social media conversations in relation to various types of violence and inequalities. She is also currently writing a book on affects and sexual violence. Her research has appeared in journals such as Violence Against Women, NORA - Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, Social Problems, Men and Masculinities, European Journal of Cultural Studies, The Sociological Review, Feminist Media Studies, Feminism and Psychology, Emotions & Society and Qualitative Psychology.

Chair: , Grant-funded researcher, Faculty of Social Science, University of Helsinki

References

Showunmi, V. (2025, April). Eyes Open: Black Women's Fight Against (In) visibilities. In International Conference on Gender Research (Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 560-562). Academic Conferences International Limited.

Showunmi, V., & Tomlin, C. (2022). Understanding and managing sophisticated and everyday racism: Implications for education and work. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.