About

HEPPsinki, as we call it, is an international research hub that gathers a large cross-disciplinary research team of people engaged in several projects together to study emotions, populism and polarisation. The group has several affiliated projects and researchers. HEPP runs a weekly seminar during the terms in Helsinki, and a large international HEPP conference almost every year, maintaining a vibrant research community.
Purpose

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. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic to house research projects from different funding bodies, the HEPPsters have been funded by the European Commission, the Finnish Research Council, and major national funding bodies and foundations in Finland.

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.

Our researchers engage with several European countries, the Americas, Africa and Asia. 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.