JMC Expert Directory

The JMC Expert Directory features scholars with expertise on the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean to serve students, media, and community outreach.

A  •  B  •  C  •  E  •  F  •  G  •  H  •  I  •  J  •  K  •  L  •  M  •  N  •  P  •  R  •  S  •  T  •  U  •  V  •  W  •  Ö

A

 
Pirjo AhokasKimmo Ahonen
Pirjo Ahokas, Professor Emerita (Comparative Literature, University of Turku)

Email: piraho[at]utu.fi

Kimmo Ahonen, Ph.D. (European and World History, University of Turku)
Project Manager, Tampere University Pori Unit

Tel. +358-40-826 2735
Email: kimmo.ahonen[at]tuni.fi

• American Ethnic Minority Literatures (Jewish, African, Asian, and Native American)
• American Gender, Race, and Ethnicity
• Multiculturalism in the United States
• U.S. History, Politics, and Culture
• The Cold War
• Film History
• Anti-Communism in American Politics and Culture
• Science Fiction
• The History of U.S. Presidential Elections
Rani-Henrik AnderssonNana Arjopalo
Rani-Henrik Andersson, Ph.D. (History, University of Tampere), Title of Docent (North American Studies, University of Helsinki)
University Researcher, Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, Department of Cultures, University of Helsinki
Senior University Lecturer, North American Studies, Department of Cultures, University of Helsinki

Tel. +358-50-323 3549 
Email: rani-henrik.andersson[at]helsinki.fi

Nana Arjopalo, Ph.D. (English, University of Turku) 
University Instructor; Team Leader, English and Intercultural Communication, Tampere University

Tel. +358-50-598 4275
E-mail: nana.arjopalo[at]tuni.fi

• U.S. History, Politics, and Culture
• Canadian History, Politics, and Culture
• Native Americans
• Environment
• 2016 U.S. Presidential Election
• North American Literature and Culture
• South Asian American Fiction
• Contemporary Women Writers of the United States

B

 
Ina BatzkeKatharine Bausch
Ina Batzke, M.A. (University of Münster)
Lecturer, English Department & Chair of American Studies, University of Münster, Germany
Freelance Translator/Editor

Email: inabatzke[at]uni-muenster.de
Katharine Bausch, Ph.D. (History, York University) 
Assistant Professor, Gender & Women's Studies, Trent University, Ontario, Canada

Tel. +1-705-748-1011
Email: katharinebausch[at]trentu.ca
• Undocumented (Im)migration
• Border Studies
• Political Activism
• Testimonial Literature/Testimonio
• Latin American Literature
• North American Gender and Race
• North American Social Movements
• North American Popular Culture
Diane Belisle-WolfEric Bergman
Diane Bélisle-Wolf, M.A.
Ph.D. Candidate, Obama Institute for Transnational American Studies, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
University Lecturer, French language, French and Québec Cultural Studies and CanLit, Department of French Studies, University of Trier, Germany

Tel. + 49-261-952 2758
Email: dbelisle-wolf[at]web.de, belisle@uni-trier.de
Eric Bergman, M.B.S. (Master of British Studies, Centre for British Studies, Humboldt University in Berlin)
Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Philosophy, History, Culture and Art Studies, Comparative Literature Unit, University of Helsinki

Tel. +358-45-642 8299
Email: eric.bergman[at]helsinki.fi
• 9/11 Studies
• Canadian Literature/Studies
• Québec Studies/Littérature québécoise
• French and Francophone Literature
• U.S.–Canada Border Studies
• Comparative North American Studies
• U.S. Literature and Popular Culture
• Life Writing
• World Literature
• Mexican American/Chicano Literature, Culture, Society, and Politics
• Multiculturalism in the U.S.
• Finnish American Culture
Jorn BrondalAlbion Butters
Jørn Brøndal, Ph.D. (US History, University of Copenhagen)
Professor and Chair, Center for American Studies, University of Southern Denmark

Tel. +45-6550-2190
Email: brondal[at]sdu.dk
Albion M. Butters, Ph.D. (History of Religion, Columbia University)
Researcher, Editor at Khyentse Vision Project

Tel. +358-45-316 9363
Email: albion.butters[at]utu.fi
• History and Politics
• African American History
• Ethnic History
• History of Scandinavian Migration to the U.S.
• Reform Movements in U.S. History
• Presidential History
• Religion in the U.S.
• 2016 U.S. Presidential Election
• U.S. Popular Culture
• Comics
• Buddhism in the U.S.
• Buddhism in India and Tibet
  
  
  

C

 
Derrais CarterMichael Coleman
Derrais (D.A.) Carter, Ph.D. (American Studies, University of Iowa)
Assistant Professor, Gender & Women's Studies, University of Arizona

Email: derraiscarter[at]gmail.com
Michael C. Coleman, Ph.D. (American History, University of Pennsylvania) 
Professor Emeritus, Department of Languages (English), University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Tel. +358-45-135 7177
Email: michael.coleman46[at]gmail.com
• Black Popular Culture
• Black Masculinity
• African American History
• Black Sexuality
• Black Cultural Studies
• Black Queer Studies
• Native American Histories and Cultures
• History of Cross-Cultural Education (esp. in comparative contexts)
• Language Changes in Finland and Ireland
Diana Cuéllar Ledesma 
Diana Cuéllar Ledesma, (PhD in Artistic, Literary and Cultural Studies, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid)
Exhibitions Manager Casa de México en España

Tel. +346-20-98 7503
Email: diana.cledesma[at]gmail.com
 
• Contemporary Mexican Arts and Culture
• Indigenous Movements and Subjectivities in Latin America
• Indigenous Feminism in Latin America
• Indigenous Presence in Latin American Arts and Visual Culture
• Representation of Gender/Ethnicity in Latin American Cinema and Visual Culture
• Dialectics of Modernity in Latin America (Globalisation, Urban Inmigration and "Mutant" Subjectivities)
 

E

 
Kimmo EloMaria Elo
Kimmo Elo, D.Soc.Sci. (Political Science, University of Turku), Title of Docent (University of Jyväskylä)
Senior Researcher, Centre for Parliamentary Studies, University of Turku

Tel. +358-2-215 4522
Email: kimmo.elo[at]utu.fi
Maria Elo, D.Sci. (Economics, Åbo Akademi University)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, International Business, Turku School of Economics, University of Turku

Tel. +1-202-994 0820
Email: melo[at]gwu.edu
• Relations between Europe and the U.S. since 1945
• Intelligence Studies
• The Cold War
• Computational Social Sciences
• Network Analysis and Network Theory
• International Business and Trade, International Business Networks
• Global Internationalization
• Non-Prime Business
• Transnational Business and Organizations
• Diaspora and Migration
• Diaspora Networks, Resources, and Entrepreneurship
• Bukharian Jewish Diaspora Entrepreneurship and Business
• Finnish Diaspora Business and Cluster Building in the U.S.
• Emerging Markets and Diaspora (esp. Central Asian diasporas in USA and Europe)

F

 
Ivan Pelcastre FariasJohannes Fehrle
Iván Farías Pelcastre, Ph.D. (Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham)
Vacation Visiting Research Fellow, Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford 

Email: ivan.fariaspelcastre[at]rai.ox.ac.uk
Johannes Fehrle, Ph.D. (English, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg)
Assistant Professor, North American Studies, University of Mannheim

Tel. +49-621-181 3367
Email: fehrle[at]uni-mannheim.de
• North American Regional Integration
• U.S.–Mexico Relations
• U.S.–Canada Relations
• Canada–Mexico Relations
• U.S.–Mexico Border Region
• North American Agreements on Environmental and Labor Cooperation (NAAEC and NAALC)
• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
• The Western Genre (fiction and film)
• Adaptation Studies
• 20th Century Canadian Literature
• 20th and 21st Century U.S. Literature
• Digital Media (convergence culture, franchising, transmedia storytelling)
• Comics and Graphic Novels
Linda Fuller 
Linda K. Fuller, Ph.D., Professor Emerita (Communications, Worcester State University, U.S.A.)
Recipient of Fulbright awards to teach in Singapore and to do AIDS/HIV research in Senegal

Email: lfuller@worcester.edu
 
• Gendered Language of Sport
• Interpersonal/Intercultural Communication
• Media: Film History, Journalism, Emerging Technologies
 

G

 
Aaron GoingsMaría A. Gutiérrez Bascón
Aaron Goings, Ph.D. (History, Simon Fraser University)
Associate Professor of History, Saint Martin's University, USA
Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Advanced Social Research, University of Tampere

Tel. +358-50-437 7151
Email: aaron.goings[at]staff.uta.fi
María A. Gutiérrez Bascón, Ph.D. (Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Studies, The University of Chicago)
Kone Foundation Postdoctoral Researcher, JMC, University of Turku

Tel. +358-41-748 1106
Email: maria.gutierrezbascon[at]utu.fi
• American Social and Labor History
• Social Movements
• Radicalism and Anti-radicalism
• Immigration History
• Contemporary Latin American Literature and Culture
• Cuban Studies
• Urban and Heritage Studies
• The City of Havana in Literature and Culture

H

 
Outi HakolaMarkus Heide

Outi Hakola, Ph.D. (Media Studies, University of Turku)

Docent in Media Studies, University of Turku
Docent in Area and Cultural Studies, University of Helsinki 
University Lecturer in Qualitative Research Methods, Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, University of Eastern Finland

Tel. +358-50-413 3164
Email: outi.hakola[at]uef.fi

Markus Heide, Ph.D. (Department of English and American Studies, Humboldt University Berlin)
Associate Professor, English Department / Institute of Translation Studies and Communication, University of Hildesheim, Germany
Affiliated Researcher, Swedish Institute for North American Studies (SINAS), Uppsala University, Sweden

Email: markus.heide[at]uni-hildesheim.de
• U.S. Media
• U.S. Popular Culture (esp. film and television) 
• Death and Dying in the U.S. and Canada 
• Healthcare in the U.S. and Canada (particularly hospice and palliative care)
• Comparative American Studies
• Latino/a Literatures and Cultural Production
• Travel Writing (from the 15th to the 20th Century)
• Hemispheric American Studies
• Border Studies
• American and Canadian Film
• Popular Culture
• Race and Ethnicity
Niko HeikkiläBenita Heiskanen
Niko Heikkilä, Ph.D. (Cultural History, University of Turku)
Postdoctoral researcher, Cultural History and the John Morton Center for North American Studies, University of Turku

Tel. +358-44-380 3333
Email: njheik[at]utu.fi
Benita Heiskanen, Ph.D. (American Studies, University of Texas at Austin), Title of Docent (American Studies, University of Turku; North American Studies, University of Helsinki) 
Professor of North American Studies & Director of the JMC, University of Turku
Tel. +358-29-450 2205
Email: benita.heiskanen[at]utu.fi
• Contemporary U.S. History
• Social Conflicts and Movements in the U.S.
• U.S. History, Society, and Culture
• Race and Ethnicity in the United States
• Latino/as in the United States
• U.S. Popular Culture and Sport (boxing)
• U.S.–Mexico Border Region
• Drug Wars and Femicide in Mexico
• U.S.–Cuba Relations
• Contemporary U.S. Politics
Ari HeloMarkku Henriksson
Ari Helo, Ph.D. (History), Docent in North American Studies & Intellectual History, Research Fellow, University of Helsinki

Tel. +358-44-280 3885
Email: ari.helo[at]helsinki.fi
Markku Henriksson, D.Soc.Sci. (Political History, University of Helsinki), D.Lett., h.c. (Canadian Studies, York University, Toronto), Title of Docent (American and Canadian Studies, University of Tampere)
McDonnell Douglas Chair for American Studies Emeritus, University of Helsinki
Council Member, JMC, University of Turku
Email: markku.henriksson[at]helsinki.fi
• U.S. Politics
• U.S. History
• U.S. Foreign Policy
• American Intellectual History
• Early American History
• American Studies Methodology
• North American History, Politics, Geography, and Art
• American Studies & Canadian Studies
• Native American and First Nations History, Culture, and Politics
• Route 66
• Trans-Canada Highway
Erik HietaAntero Holmila
Erik Hieta, Ph.D. (History, University of California, Davis)

Tel. +358-44-208 6030
Email: erik.hieta[at]gmail.com
Antero Holmila, Ph.D. in History (Royal Holloway, University of London)
Researcher, University of Jyväskylä, Department of History and Ethnology
Transatlantic Studies Association

Tel. +358 50 3097 643
Email: antero.holmila[at]jyu.fi
• U.S. History
• The U.S. and the World since WWII
• Native American Studies
• Ethnographic Representation and Indigenous Peoples
• Finnish American Identities
• Migration and Ethnicity in the U.S.
• 2016 U.S. Presidential Election
• US Foreign Relations since 1898
• US in WWII: Isolationism vs. Internationalism
• US Congress and War
• Transatlantic Relations
• Geopolitics
• FDR Era & Presidency
• The Cold War and the Politics of Sport
Tuomas HoviAleksi Huhta
Tuomas Hovi, Ph.D. (Folkloristics, University of Turku) 
Postdoctoral Researcher, Folkloristics, University of Turku 

Email: tuomas.hovi[at]utu.fi
Aleksi Huhta, Ph.D. (European and World History, University of Turku)
Postdoctoral Researcher, Åbo Akademi University

Tel. +358-40-757 5131
Email: alehuh[at]utu.fi
• Finnish American Heritage and Tradition
• Identity Politics of Finnish Americans in the U.S.
• Authenticity
• Folklore
• History of Migration
• Racialism and Racism in U.S./Atlantic History
• Finnish American History
• Sociology of Ethnicity/Race
Reetta Humalajoki 
Reetta Humalajoki, Ph.D. (History, Durham University)
University Teacher of History, School of History, Culture and Arts Studies, University of Turku

Tel. +358 29 450 4710
Email: reetta.humalajoki[at]utu.fi
 
• Indigenous Studies
• Modern U.S. and Canadian History
• Political Activism and Social Movements
• Ethnicity, Race, and Identity
• Race in Popular Culture and Cultural Appropriation
 

I

 
Kaisa Ilmonen 
Kaisa Ilmonen, Ph.D. (Comparative Literature, University of Turku)
University Lecturer, University of Turku
Title of Docent School of History, Culture and Arts Studies. University of Turku
Collegium Researcher, Literary Studies and Creative Writing

Email: kailmo[at]utu.fi
 
• Intersectionality
• Caribbean Women's Writing
• American-Caribbean Literatures
• Postcolonial Theory and Postcolonial Literatures
• Feminism, Queer and Sexuality in Literature
 

J

 
Jian-e Ling 
Ling Jian-e, Ph.D. (English Language and Literature, Nanjing University)
Associate Professor, Hunan University of Science and Technology

Tel. +86-731-5829 1105
Email: lindalje[at]163.com
 
• Modernist American Theater
• Post-9/11 Literature
• Interculturation of Chinese and American Literature
• Women's Studies
• U.S. Literature in Intellectual History
 

K

 
Pasi J. KallioKari Kallioniemi
Pasi J. Kallio, Ph.D. (North American Studies, University of Helsinki)

Tel. +358-45-636 2366
Email: pasi.kallio[at]espoo.fi
Kari Kallioniemi, Ph.D. (Cultural History, University of Turku), Title of Docent (History of Popular Culture, University of Turku)
Researcher, Department of History, Culture and Arts Studies, University of Turku
President, European Popular Culture Association
Tel. +358-45-260 7968
Email: kari.kallioniemi[at]utu.fi
• U.S. History (esp. cultural and intellectual import from Europe to the U.S., Southern History)
• Elites of the Southern States
• The American Civil War
• Sceptical Historiography
• Literary Theory, Semiotics (esp. narrative in history)
• Anglo Actors and Hollywood Stardom
• Post-War American Popular Music
• The First and Second British Invasions in the U.S.
• U.S. Popular Culture and Psychedelia
• Anglomania and Anglophobia in the U.S
• Transatlantic Popular Culture
Lauri KangasniemiSuvi Karila
Lauri Kangasniemi, M.A. (International Relations, University of Tampere)
Commercial Secretary at Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland

Tel. +358 40 129 0889
Email: kangasniemi.lauri.j[at]student.uta.fi
Suvi Karila, M.A. (Cultural History, University of Turku)
Ph.D. Candidate, Cultural History, University of Turku

Email: suvi.karila[at]utu.fi
• International Trade
• U.S. Trade Policy
• U.S. Trade Negotiations
• Nonreligion (Atheism, Unbelief, Irreligion) in the U.S.
• Gender and Nonreligion
Saara KekkiPekka Kilpeläinen
Saara Kekki, Ph.D. (North American Studies, University of Helsinki) 
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Helsinki

Tel. +358-44-379 3007
Email: saara.kekki[at]helsinki.fi
Website: https://saarakekki.fi/
Pekka Kilpeläinen, Ph.D. (English Language and Culture, University of Eastern Finland)
University Lecturer, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu

Tel. +358-50-327 5759
Email: pekka.a.kilpelainen[at]uef.fi
• Japanese American and Japanese Canadian Incarceration in WWII
• Ethnic Relations in the U.S. and Canada
• North American Indigenous People
• Big Data in Historical Research
• African American Literature and Culture
• Race, Gender, and Sexuality in the U.S.
• James Baldwin
• Ideology and Utopia
• Cultural Memory
• Transculturation
Anna KoivusaloJani Kokko
Anna Koivusalo, Ph.D. (History, University of Helsinki)
Postdoctoral Researcher, History, University of Helsinki

Email: anna.koivusalo[at]helsinki.fi
Jani Kokko, M.A. (History, University of Jyväskylä) 
Ph.D. Candidate, Department of History and Ethnology, University of Jyväskylä

Tel. +358-50-341 2860
Email: Jani.t.kokko[at]student.jyu.fi
• Nineteenth-century American History
• Southern United States
• Civil War and Reconstruction.
• U.S. Elections and Political System
• U.S. Presidency
• American Values
• U.S. National Security Policy
Pekka KolehmainenTuula Kolehmainen
Pekka Kolehmainen, Ph.D. (Cultural History, University of Turku)
Postdoctoral Fellow at the Turku Institute for Advanced Studies (TIAS) and the John Morton Center for North American Studies.


Email: pmkole[at]utu.fi 
Tuula Kolehmainen, Ph.D., Department of Languages (English Philology), University of Helsinki
Adjunct Lecturer, North American Studies, University of Turku

Email: tuula.kolehmainen[at]utu.fi
• Cultural History of the 1980s in the U.S.
• Popular Music, Popular Culture, and Audiovisual Media
• Censorship, Culture Wars
• Digital Culture and Game Studies
• African American Literature
• Black Masculinity
Janne KorkkaAuvo Kostiainen
Janne Korkka, Ph.D. (English, University of Turku) 
Senior Lecturer, Department of English, University of Turku
Coordinator, North American Studies Programme, University of Turku

Tel. +358 29 450 3322
Email: jkorkka[at]utu.fi
Auvo Kostiainen, Ph.D. (University of Turku), Title of Docent (Travel History, University of Lapland; General History, University of Tampere)
Professor Emeritus, Department of European and World History, University of Turku

Tel. +358-40-517 4313
Email: aukosti[at]utu.fi
• Canadian Literature
• Indigenous Peoples in Canadian and U.S. Literature
• Space and Place in Literature
• The Arctic in Literature
• Writings of the Canadian Prairie
• History of Ethnicity and Migration
• Finns in North America
• Radical Ethnic Groups in the United States
• John Morton
• Finns in the Soviet Union
• History of Multiculturalism
• History of Travel and Tourism
Krystof KozakAnna Kronlund
Kryštof Kozák, Ph.D. (International Studies, Charles University)
Department of American Studies, Institute of International Studies, Charles University, Prague

Tel. +420-251-080 449, +421-251-080 250
Email: kozak[at]fsv.cuni.cz, krystofkozak[at]gmail.com  
Anna Kronlund, Ph.D (Political Science, University of Jyväskylä)
University Lecturer. Political Science, University of Turku.

Email: anna.kronlund[at]utu.fi
• U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Relations
• North American Economic Integration and Globalization (esp. the effects on public policy in Mexico and the U.S.)
• Legal and Illegal Migration from Mexico to the U.S.
• Drug Trafficking as a Problem of National and International Politics
• Asymmetric Collective Memory in Mexico and the U.S
• U.S. Politics
• U.S. Congress
• Separation of Powers and the U.S. Political System
• War and Emergency Powers in the U.S.
• U.S., Multilateralism, and the United Nations
Zuzanna BuchowskaKuebler-Wolf_Elizabeth
Zuzanna Kruk-Buchowska, Ph.D. (Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland)
Assistant Professor, Canadian Literature Research Unit, Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan

Email: zuzana[at].amu.edu.pl
Elizabeth Kuebler-Wolf, Ph.D. (American Studies, Art History, Indiana University Bloomington)
Associate Professor, University of Saint Francis, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Tel. +1-260-433 1829
Email: ekueblerwolf[at]sf.edu
• Native American Studies
• Indigenous Australian Studies
• Indigenous Food Sovereignty
• Transnationalism
• Indigenous Education (boarding school history, higher education)
• Antebellum South
• Images of Slaves and Slavery
• Proslavery and Abolitionist Rhetoric
• American Art History (from colonial time to present)
Sonja KuosmanenKatariina Kyrölä
Sonja Kuosmanen, M.A. (English Philology, University of Helsinki)
Doctoral student, Department of Modern Languages, University of Helsinki

Email: sonja.kuosmanen[at]helsinki.fi
Katariina Kyrölä, Ph.D. (Media Studies, University of Turku)
Docent, School of History, Culture and Arts Studies

Email: jokaky@utu.fi
• Political Language and Discourses
• Political Discourse in the United States
• Rhetoric of the President of the United States
• U.S. Foreign Policy Discourse
• Political Discourse in the U.S. Media
• Gender, Sexuality, and "Race" in Contemporary American Popular Culture
• Feminist Theories of the Body
• Fat Studies and Fatness in the Media
• LGBTQ Issues in the U.S.
• Feminist Studies of Horror and Pornography
• American B-Movies, Reality Television, and Tabloid Culture
Jere KyyröLotta Kähkönen

Jere Kyyrö, Ph.D. (Study of Religion, University of Turku)
M.Sos.Sc. (Sociology, University of Tampere)
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Helsinki


Email: jere.kyyro@helsinki.fi

Lotta Kähkönen, Research Fellow, Gender Studies, University of Turku
Senior Researcher, Gender Studies, University of Tampere
Docent, Faculty of Humanities, Art History, Musicology and Media Studies

Tel. +356-40-519-8194
Email: lotta.kahkonen[at]utu.fi, lottamari.kahkonen[at]tuni.fi
• Civil Religion Debate in North America
• Sociology of Religion, Sociological and Anthropological Theories of Religion
• Religion and Media, Media Rituals
• Critical Study of Religion
• Images of The Frontier and Apocalypse in Science Fiction Films and Television
• Transgender in Anglophone Literature and Popular Culture
• Queer Theory and Sexuality
• Art and Activism by Trans and Queer Communities
Kimi Kärki 
Kimi Kärki, Ph.D. (Cultural History, University of Turku)
Lecturer (Cultural Study of Music, Sibelius Academy, Uniarts Helsinki, Seinäjoki Campus)
PI: Fascinating Fascism and its Affective Heritage in Finnish Culture (KONE Foundation, 2021-2023; Cultural History & IIPC, University of Turku)

Tel. +358-50-534 4697
Email: kierka[at]utu.fi
 
• Popular Music and Stadium Rock Live Performances
• Music Industry and Touring
• Digital Gaming, Violence, and Political Satire
• Conspiracy Theories, Satanism, and Paganism
• Blockbuster and Horror Films
• Study of Fascism
 

L

 
Janne LahtiOtto Latva
Janne Lahti, Ph.D. (General History, University of Helsinki), Adjunct Professor (Title of Docent) in General History (University of Helsinki)
Academy of Finland Research Fellow, University of Helsinki
President, Finnish American Studies Association (FASA)
Chief Editor, Settler Colonial Studies

Tel.+358-40-744 275
Email: janne.lahti[at]helsinki.fi
Otto Latva, Ph.D. (Cultural History, University of Turku)
Research Associate, Åbo Akademi University
University Lecturer (Degree Programme in Digital Culture, Landscape and Cultural Heritage), University of Turku
Title of Docent (More-than-human History), University of Turku
PI: Disappeared, Endangered and Newly Arrived Species: The Human Relationship with the Changing Biodiversity of the Baltic Sea (Academy of Finland, 2021-2025)


Tel. +358 50 328 9846
Email: otto.latva[at]utu.fi
• U.S. History, Society, and Culture
• American West
• Colonialism and Empire
• Borderlands
• Native Americans
• Race, Ethnicity (Whiteness), and Gender (Masculinity)
• American Film
• Military History
• Historical Conceptions of the Ocean and the Deep Sea (North Atlantic region)
• Nature and the Sea in North American Culture
• Human-Animal Studies and Human-Plant Studies
• Environmental history and Biodiversity
• History of Science (Zoology; the ocean; and deep-sea exploration)
• History of Wonder and Monsters
• History of the Newfoundland Region
Kwangjin LeeJohanna Leinonen
Kwangjin Lee, Ph.D. (American Studies, University of Texas at Austin)
Assistant Professor, English Language and Literature, Soongsil University
Seoul, South Korea

Tel. +82-2-820-0339
Email: pynchon69[at]gmail.com
Johanna Leinonen, Ph.D. (History, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis)
Senior Researcher, Migration Institute of Finland

Tel. +358-40-5340078
Email: johlei[at]utu.fi
• American Literature (Realism and Naturalism)
• U.S. Business History (large corporations)
• Management (organizational behavior)
• Modern U.S. History
• Migration History, the United States and Finland
• Race and Ethnicity in the United States and in Finland
• Transnationalism, in particular Transnational Families
• Gender History
• History of Finnish Emigration
• Interdisciplinary Research

M

 
Juha MeriläinenSini Mononen
Juha Meriläinen, Ph.D. (Common Church History, University of Helsinki)
Committee Secretary, Church Administration/Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland

Tel. +358-44-537 0878
Email: juha.merilainen[at]helsinki.fi
Sini Mononen, M.A. (Musicology, University of Helsinki)
Ph.D. Candidate, Musicology, University of Turku 

Tel. +358-40-410 3160
Email: siinmo[at]utu.fi
• Religious History in the U.S.
• American Lutheranism
• Religion and the Cold War
• The Ecumenical Movement
• American Churches and the Post-WWII Reconstruction
• Civil Religion
• Finnish-American Immigrants
• Religion and Identity
• Narrative Methods
• Music and Violence
• Film Music and Sound
• Stalking Studies
• Representations of Violent Experience
Teemu Mäkinen 
Teemu Mäkinen, M.Soc.Sci. (Political Science, University of Jyväskylä)
Ph.D. Candidate, School of Management / Political Science,
University of Tampere

Tel. +358-40-737 0967
Email: makinen.teemu.p[at]student.uta.fi
 
• U.S. Congress and Presidency
• The Role of the U.S. Congress in American Foreign Policy
• Partisanship and Polarization in American Politics
• U.S. Electoral Politics
• The U.S. Constitution and Political System
 

N

 
Nadia Contreras NavaHai Nguyen
Nadia Nava Contreras, M.A.
Kone Foundation Researcher, JMC, University of Turku
Ph.D. Candidate, Political History, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki

Tel. +358-44-333 9767
Email: nadia.navacontreras[at]helsinki.fi
Hải Nguyễn, M.A.
(English, University of Turku)
Ph.D. Candidate, English, University of Turku

Email: hlhngu[at]utu.fi
• Mexican Foreign Policy (20th and 21st Centuries)
• The Interamerican System and Latin America in the United Nations
• Public Diplomacy and National Imaginaries
• Transnational History
• Representations of North American racial and ethnic minorities
• Discourses of race and racism in the US
• Asian American studies
• US popular culture
Jari NikkolaJoel Nyman
Jari Nikkola, M.A. (Cultural History, University of Turku)
Ph.D. Candidate, European and World History, University of Turku

Tel. +358-40-566 0405
Email: jari.nikkola[at]utu.fi
Joel Nyman, M.A. (History, University of Jyväskylä)
Ph.D. Candidate, Department of History and Ethnology, University of Jyväskylä)

Email: joel.j.nyman[at]student.jyu.fi
• Immigration History
• Late Generation European-American Ethnicity
• Late Generation American Finns
• Interethnicity of the Upper Midwest
• Sociology of Acculturation and Ethnicity
• U.S. Congress
• Interbranch Relations in U.S. Foreign Policy
• U.S. Foreign Relations in the Interwar Era
• Internationalism vs. Americanism in U.S. Foreign Policy
• The Age of Normalcy and the Presidencies of Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge
• Isolationism and U.S. Foreign Policy
• International Disarmament in the Interwar Era
Jopi Nyman 
Jopi Nyman, Ph.D. (English, University of Joensuu), D.Soc.Sci. (Sociology, University of Joensuu)
Professor of English, University of Eastern Finland

Tel. +358-50-442 3199
Email: jopi.nyman[at]uef.fi
 
• U.S. Literature and Popular Culture
• Race and Ethnicity in American Literature
• American Ethnic Literature
• American Cultural Studies
• Human-Animal Studies
• Migration, Mobility and Globalization in Literature
 

P

 
Petri PajuJustin Parks
Petri Paju, Ph.D. (Cultural History, University of Turku)
Docent (adjuct prof.) in cultural history of technology, University of Turku.

Email: petpaju[at]utu.fi
Justin Parks, Ph.D. (English, State University of New York, University at Buffalo) 
Associate Professor of American Literature and Culture, University of Tromsø -The Arctic University of Norway

Email: justin.parks[at]uit.no
• History of Computing
• History of Technology
• History of Multinational Business (esp. International Business Machines, IBM)
• U. S. Business in Europe (after WWII)
• Digital History
• American Literature and Cultural Studies
• Poetry and Poetics
• Anglophone Modernism
• The Great Depression
• Environmental and Energy Humanities
Anna PehkorantaRosemary Pennington
Anna Pehkoranta, Ph.D. (Literature, University of Jyväskylä)
Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Music, Art and Culture Studies, University of Jyväskylä

Tel. +358-40-739 0965 
Email: anna.m.pehkoranta[at]jyu.fi
Rosemary Pennington, Ph.D. (Indiana University)
Associate Professor, Department of Media, Journalism and Film, Miami University

Tel. 513-529 3460, 812-327 3953
Email: penninrm[at]miamioh.edu
• Asian North American Literature and Criticism
• Ethnic Minority Literatures in the U.S.
• Race and Ethnicity in Contemporary American Fiction and Criticism
• Transnational and Postcolonial Fiction and Theory in the U.S. Context
• Feminist, Ecocritical, and Psychoanalytical Literary Criticism in the U.S.
• Affectivity and Experimentality in Contemporary Asian American Literature
• American Journalism
• Muslims and Media
• Minorities and Media
• New Media & Society
Nicole Perry 
Nicole Perry, Ph.D. (Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Toronto)
Senior Lecturer in German and Comparative Literature, University of Auckland
Assistant Dean, Research
Specialization Lead Comparative Literature and MLITT
UG Adviser, Comparative Literature
CLL Representative, Board of Gender Studies
NCEA Review Panel European Languages, German Tertiary Representative
Advisory Board, Europe Institute
Associate Editor, German: The William F. Cody Papers
Co-director, Research Centre for Germanic Connections to New Zealand and the Pacific
Co-editor, Germanica Pacifica Series

Email: nicole.perry[at]univie.ac.at
 
• German/Native American relations
• North American Indigenous Art
• North American Indigenous Film
• German immigrants to North America
• German in the Pacific
 

R

 
Saijaleena RantanenPaola Raunio
Saijaleena Rantanen, DMus, M.A. (Music History, Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki)
University lecturer, Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki
Title of Docent, (Musicology, University of Helsinki)


Tel. +358-40-710 4200
Email: saijaleena.rantanen[at]uniarts.fi
Paola Raunio, Ph.D. (International Relations, University of St. Andrews)
Assistant Professor, Homeland Security Program, Rabdan Academy, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Email: paola.raunio[at]gmail.com 
• Music History of Migrants (North America and Finland)
• Migration History (North America, Finland and Soviet Karelia)
• Music and Society
• Cultural History of Music  
• Transnationalism
• Interdisciplinary Research
• U.S. Foreign Policy
• The Role of the U.S. in the Middle East
• U.S.–Iran Relations
• American In/Security Policies
• Human Rights
• Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in U.S. Foreign Policy
• Contemporary Imperialism
• Feminist and Postcolonial Theory 
Anju ReejhsinghaniRodríguez Ángeles
Anju Reejhsinghani, Ph.D. (History, The University of Texas at Austin)
Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion;Chief Diversity Officer, University of California, Santa Cruz 

Email: anjureej@ucsc.edu
Maria de los Angeles Rodriguez Cadena, Ph.D. (University of Michigan)
Associate Professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies, Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX
Chair of Spanish, Department of Modern Languages

Tel. 001 512 966 4355
Email: rodrigua@southewestern.edu 
• Race, Gender, and Transnational Sport
• Latin American/Latinx Studies
• Asian and African Diasporas in the Americas
• Modern Cuba and U.S. - Cuba Relations
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the U.S. Higher Education
• Cultural Memory in Mexico
• Contemporary Mexican and Latin American Literature and Culture 
• Mexican and Latin American Historical Fiction in Literature, Film, and Television 
• Mexican Television and Film Women Directors 
• Environmental Humanities in Latin America 
• Leisure and Play in Mexico and Latin America 
Matti RoittoLeena-Maija Rossi
Matti Roitto, Ph.D. (General History, University of Jyväskylä)
Senior Researcher at Industrial Union

Tel. +358-40-542 3904
Email: matti.roitto[at]jyu.fi 
Leena-Maija Rossi, Ph.D. (Art History and Women's/Gender Studies, University of Helsinki), Title of Docent (Visual Culture, University of Turku; Gender Studies and Art History, University of Helsinki)
Executive Director, Finnish Cultural Institute in New York

Tel. +1-646-436-8738
Email: rossi[at]fciny.org
• Anglo-American Relations (political history, foreign policy, international relations)
• Anglo-American Atomic Cooperation and Nuclear Weapons (esp. 1940s) 
• Early Cold War
• Intersectional Study of Genders and Sexualities
• Queer Studies
• Visual Culture (esp. media and contemporary art) 
• U.S. Popular Culture/Film, Television, and Internet Series 
Markku Ruotsila 
Markku Ruotsila, Ph.D. (History, University of Cambridge)
Adjunct Professor (Docent), North American Church History, University of Helsinki
Adjunct Professor (Docent), American and British History, University of Tampere
Research Fellow and Visiting Professor, LCC International University

Tel. +358-050-431 8747 
Email: markku.ruotsila[at]helsinki.fi  
 
• U.S. History, Society, and Politics
• Religion and Politics in the U.S.
• The Republican Party, Christian Right, and U.S. Conservatism
• Evangelicalism and Fundamentalism (in the U.S. and worldwide)
• Religion and U.S. Foreign Policy
• Socialism and the Religious Left in the U.S.
• U.S. Presidential Elections and Presidential History
• U.S. Anticommunism and the Cold War
• Transnational History and U.S. Foreign Relations
 

S

 
Mikko SaikkuSirpa Salenius
Mikko Saikku, Ph.D. (North American Studies, University of Helsinki)
Title of Docent (North American Studies, University of Helsinki; Environmental History, University of Tampere)
Director, Helsinki Environmental Humanities Hub
McDonnell Douglas Professor of American Studies, University of Helsinki

Tel. +358-50-448 4075
Email: mikko.saikku[at]helsinki.fi
Sirpa Salenius, Ph.D. (English Studies, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu)
Title of Docent (English-language Literature and Culture, University of Eastern Finland)
Associate Researcher (Laboratoire de Recherche sur les Cultures Anglophones, LARCA)
External Affiliate (University College London Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism and Racialisation)

Tel. +39-333-2142465
Email: sirpa.salenius[at]gmail.com
• North American History
• American Studies
• The American South
• Environmental Humanities
• American Literature
• U.S. Culture and Society
• Gender Studies
• Critical Race Studies
• Spatial Literary Studies
Hannu SalmiSamira Saramo
Hannu Salmi, Ph.D. (General History, University of Turku) 
Professor, Department of Cultural History, University of Turku

Tel. +358 29 450 3419
Email: hansalmi[at]utu.fi
Samira Saramo, Ph.D. (History, York University), Title of Docent (Cultural History, University of Turku)
Senior Researcher, Migration Institute of Finland

Email: samira.saramo[at]mirationinstitute.fi
Twitter: samira_saramo
Website: www.samirasaramo.com
• Film and Media History
• History of Popular Culture
• Hollywood Cinema
• American and European Cultural Relations
• Canadian History
• Finns in North America
• North American Migration History & Transnationalism
• Life Writing/Life Stories
• Emotions and Senses
• Place-Making and Community-Building
• History of Death and Grief
• Socialism in Canada and the United States
• North American Settler Colonialism
Heikki SaxenLydia Schoeppner
Heikki Saxén, Ph.D. (History and Bioethics, University of Tampere)
Researcher, Bioethics, University of Tampere

Tel. +358-40-756 8485
Email: heikki.saxen[at]gmail.com

Lydia Schoeppner, Ph.D. (Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada)
Teaching Assistant Professor, Conflict Resolution Studies, Canadian Mennonite University/University of Winnipeg

Email: lschoeppner[at]cmu.ca

 

• Bioethics
• Medical Ethics
• Research Ethics
• History of Bioethics
• Political Philosophy (esp. John Rawls and Judith Shklar)

• Indigenous/Inuit Peacemaking and Research Methodologies
• Conflict Transformation
• Conflict and Culture
• Inuit Culture, Society, and Traditional Knowledge (Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit)
• Hybrid Peace, Everyday Peace, Peaceful Societies
• Colonization and Decolonization in the Arctic
• Environmental Conflict/Climate Change

 

Mila SeppäläMark Shackleton

Mila Seppälä, M.A. (English, University of Turku)
Doctoral Researcher, Political Science and North American Studies, University of Turku

Tel. +358-400-841 363
Email: mitase[at]utu.fi

Mark Shackleton, Ph.D. (American Literature, University of Helsinki)
Docent Emeritus (English Literature, University of Helsinki)

Tel. + 358-50-402 8941
Email: Mark.Shackleton[at]helsinki.fi
• U.S. Politics
• Youth Activism and Social Movements
• Gun Violence and Gun Legislation
• The Left in the U.S.
• Police Violence and Use of Force Legislation
• Native North American Writing
• Postcolonial Literatures
• Trickster Literatures
• Transcultural and Transnational Adoption
Elina SiltanenHilma Sormunen
Elina Siltanen, Ph.D. (FT/FD, English, double degree from the University of Turku, Finland and Luleå University of Technology, Sweden)
University lecturer, Department of English, University of Turku

Email: elina.siltanen[at]utu.fi
Hilma Sormunen, M.Soc.Sci (Political Science, University of Turku)
Doctoral Candidate, Political Science, University of Turku (from August 2020)

Tel. +358 044 594 8391
Email: hrsorm[at]utu.fi
• Recent and Contemporary U.S. Poetry (esp. Language Writing, Conceptual Poetry)
• Experimental Poetry
• Ways of Reading Complex Literature
• Reading for emotion
• Literary Criticism
• Critical Discourse Analysis
• Rhetoric in U.S. Presidential Addresses (George W. Bush and Barack Obama)
 
Stephanie Sparling WilliamsFrida Stranne
Stephanie Sparling Williams, Ph.D. (American Studies, University of Southern California)
John Walsh Fellow (Yale University Art Gallery)

Email: stephanie.sparlingwilliams[at]yale.edu
Frida Stranne, Ph.D. (Peace- and Development Research, Gothenburg University)
Senior Lecturer, Political Science, University of Halmstad
Visiting Scholar at SINAS, Uppsala University

Email: frida.stranne[at]hh.se
• African American Studies
• Visual Culture Studies
• Art History
• Black and Diaspora Studies
• Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
• Museum Studies
• Phenomenology
• History of U.S. Foreign Policy
• Core Ideas in U.S. Foreign Policy
• U.S. Involvement in the Middle East
• Think Tanks and their Role in Policymaking (esp. foreign policy)
• Political Development in U.S. Congress and its Relation to the Executive Branch (polarization, influence of money, gerrymandering)
Sanna Suomi 

Sanna Suomi, M.A. (Folkloristics, University of Turku)
Ph.D. Candidate, Folkloristics, University of Turku

Email: sklepp[at]utu.fi

 
• Finnish immigrants in the United States
• U.S. Finnish women's writing
• Life Writing
• Folklore; Personal Experience Narrative
 

T

 
Airnel Talatala AbarraPhil Tiemeyer
Airnel Talatala Abarra, M.Sc. PhD (Cand.)
Head Coach in Athletics (Track & Field), Office of Athletics, Ateneo de Davao University 
Doctoral School of Sport Sciences, Hungarian University of Sport Science, Budapest, Hungary
Email: atabarra[at]addu.edu.ph, airnel.abarra[at]tf.hu
Phil Tiemeyer, Ph.D. (American Studies, University of Texas at Austin)
Associate Professor of History, Department of History, Kansas State University, USA

Tel. +1-314-570 7949
Email: tiemeyerp@ksu.edu
• Athletics
• Bodybuilding
• Sport and Society
• Physical Culture
• Philippine-U.S. Relations
• LGBTQ Issues 
• Civil Aviation Issues (airlines)
Gyorgy TothJuho Turpeinen
Gyorgy Toth, Ph.D. (American Studies, University of Iowa)
Lecturer in History, Division of History and Politics, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Stirling

Tel. +44-1786-467 573
Email: gyorgy.toth[at]stir.ac.uk 
Juho Turpeinen, M.A. (Area and Cultural Studies, University of Helsinki) 
Doctoral Candidate, Faculty of Arts, University of Helsinki
Doctoral Programme of Political, Societal and Regional Change, Doctoral School in Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Helsinki

Tel. +358-407-073 669
Email: juho.turpeinen[at]helsinki.fi
• 20th Century (esp. post-1945 U.S. history)
• Transatlantic Cultural Relations and Social Movements
• U.S. Transnational Relations
• American Indian History
• U.S. and European Public History and Memory
• Political Theory
• Neoliberalism
• Populism
• Conservatism
• Social Media
• Land Use
Alf Tomas Tonnessen 
Alf Tomas Tønnessen, Ph.D. (North-American Area Studies, University of Oslo) 
Associate Professor, American Civilization/English,
Volda University College, Norway

Tel. +47-70-075 456 
Email: toenness[at]hivolda.no 
 
• U.S. Political History
• U.S. Domestic Policy
• The U.S. Conservative Movement
• The Republican Party
• U.S. Presidential Elections
 

U

 
Ave Ungro 
Ave Ungro, M.A. (Spanish Philology, University of Tartu)
Latin American Studies, Department of World Cultures, University of Helsinki

Tel. +372-5620 1110
E-mail: ave.ungro[at]helsinki.fi
 
• Contemporary Mexican Journalism
• Drug Wars in Mexico
• Discourse Studies
• Latin American Literary Journalism
• Latin American Literature 
 

V

 
Elina ValovirtaVesa Vares
Elina Valovirta, Ph.D. (English, University of Turku)
Title of Docent (Anglophone Literature, esp. Feminist Research, University of Eastern Finland)
Senior Lecturer, Department of English, University of Turku

Email: elina.valovirta[at]utu.fi
Vesa Vares, D.Soc.Sci. (Political History, University of Turku)
Title of Docent (History of Ideologies and Society, University of Jyväskylä; Finnish History, University of Tampere; History of Ideologies and Political Parties,University of Turku)
Professor of Political History, University of Turku

Tel. +358-2-333 5368
Email: vesa.vares[at]utu.fi
• Anglophone Caribbean Women’s Writing
• Sexuality
• Emotions, Affects, and Affect theory
• Feminist Reader Theory
• Cultural Studies
• Anglophone Global Culture
• U.S. History and Society
• History of U.S. Presidents and Presidential Elections
• The Democratic Party
• The Republican Party
• Liberalism and Conservatism in the U.S.
• Representations of U.S. History in Films 
Sarri Vuorisalo-TiitinenSusanna Välimäki
Sarri Vuorisalo-Tiitinen, Ph.D. (Latin American Studies, University of Helsinki)
Postdoctoral Researcher, Part-time Teacher in Master´s Degree Programme in Intercultural Encounters, University of Helsinki

Email: sarri.vuorisalo-tiitinen[at]helsinki.fi
Susanna Välimäki, Ph.D., Title of Docent (Musicology, University of Helsinki)
Senior Lecturer in Musicology, University of Turku 

Tel. +358-2-333 5218
Email: susanna.valimaki[at]utu.fi
• Gender and Ethnicity in Latin America
• Indigenous Movements in Latin America
• Mexican Zapatista Movement
• Latin American Literature
• Mexican Indigenist Writer Rosario Castellanos
• Latin American Migration to the U.S. and Europe
• Latin Americans in Finland
• Bilingualism in Finland (Finnish-Spanish/Portuguese)
• Critical Discourse Analysis
• Contemporary American Music (esp. Contemporary Classical Music, Rock Music, and Americana)
• American Films and Film Music
• War Films
• Study of Cultural Trauma
• War in Music and Sonic Arts
• Political Art
• Queer Studies
• Ecomusicology and Ecocriticism
• Native American Film 

W

 
Elizabeth WhitneyOscar Winberg
Elizabeth Whitney, Ph.D. (Performance Studies, Popular Culture, and Communication, Southern Illinois University)

Email: ewhitney[at]bmcc.cuny.edu
Oscar Winberg, Ph.D. (General History, Åbo Akademi University)
Postdoctoral Researcher, John Morton Center for North American Studies, University of Turku

Tel. +358 40 575 4027
Email: owinberg[at]abo.fi
• LGBTQ Media and Politics
• Queer and Feminist Arts
• Communication and Public Speaking
• Modern U.S. History
• U.S. Presidential Elections
• U.S. Political History
• U.S. Television
• Political Cartoons
• Political Advertising 
Wu Judy Tzu-Chun 

Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Ph.D. (History, Stanford University)
Professor, Departments of History and Asian American Studies, University of California, Irvine
Faculty Director, Humanities Center
Founding Director, Center for Liberation, Anti-Racism, and Belonging
Author, Fierce and Fearless: Patsy Takemoto Mink, First Woman of Color in Congress (2022)
Co-Editor, Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600 to 2000
Co-Editor, Unequal Sisters, 5th Edition (forthcoming Routledge Press)


Email: j.wu[at]uci.edu

 
• Modern U.S. History
• Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
• Asian American and Ethnic Studies
• U.S. Militarism in Asia and the Pacific
• Political activism
• Digital Narratives
• Biography
 

Ö

 
Kim Östman 

Kim Östman, Ph.D. (Comparative religion, Åbo Akademi University), D.Sc. (Microelectronics, Aalto University)
Title of Docent (Study of Religions, Åbo Akademi University)
Principal R&D Engineer, Nordic Semiconductor

Tel. +358-40-829 6192
Email: kim.ostman[at]abo.fi

 

• History and Modern Development of Mormonism (esp. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
• Mormon Missionary Work in Europe, incl. 19th-century Emigration to Utah
• Mormonism in Finland, Past and Present
• Polygamy and Fundamentalist Mormons in North America