We take a particular focus on the cultural understanding of political processes and work on affects. Most of us draw on and take forward the theory of hegemony of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, but we also combine other philosophical and cultural theoretical perspectives.
Currently there are three affiliated projects funded by major national funding bodies, and two summer Helsinki School Courses that usually take place in August. The collaboration has been building for some time, and the first HEPP conference was organised in 2019 adjacent to the HSS courses.
HEPP offers a point of contact for scholars both in Helsinki and abroad. The hub enables collaboration between researchers in different projects, and welcomes new projects and initiatives to its umbrella. There are several PhD and postdoctoral researchers and senior members of staff who engage regularly in the team. We have visiting scholars who affiliate with the HEPP team. Our current researchers engage with several European countries and the Americas. We come from politics and media studies, philosophy and human geography, microeconomics and area studies. HEPP scholars are active and engaged. You're most welcome to get in touch! Please feel free to email us at hepp[at]helsinki.fi.