Links
Areas of expertise
Biography
With a background in human geography, I specialise in the interdisciplinary study of human--animal relations. Since 2018, I have worked at the University of Turku, currently in the project Shared Paths: Forests as Multispecies Homes, funded by the Kone Foundation (2023-2027), and before that in my Academy Research Fellow project Landscapes of Interspecies Care: Working the Human--Animal Boundary in Care Practices (2018--2023). Before this, I worked at the University of Eastern Finland, in research projects focusing on human-horse relations (Academy of Finland) as well as animal death (Kone Foundation). I am Adjunct Professor (Docent) of Human–Animal Studies at the University of Turku, as well as Adjunct Professor (Docent) of Animal Geography at the University of Eastern Finland. I led the Turku Human--Animal Studies Network (TYKE) in 2018-2022.
Research
My research focuses on human–animal relationality, from a cultural and spatial perspective. In my current project, I explore experiences of forests as multispecies homes. I have previously studied cultural conceptions and practices regarding interspecies care, animal welfare and death, with themes such as animal agency, the human–animal boundary, performativity, emotions, knowledge, and expertise as well as eco-nationalist discourses concerning animals.
I apply a variety of qualitative methods in my research, using data such as social media discussions and blogs, experiential narratives, photographs, videos and ethnographic interviews. My work focuses on European contexts, most often in Finland and the UK.