“Would They Defend Our Eastern Border?” State Allegiances as Potent Connections - Professor Sirpa Wrede

Dates:	23 April 2024
Times:	13:45 - 15:00
What is it:	Seminar
Organiser:	School of Social Sciences
How much:	Free
Who is it for:	University staff, External researchers, Current University students

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Morgan Centre and Department of Sociology seminar by Professor Sirpa Wrede Centre of Excellence for Research in Ageing and Care, University of Helsinki, Finland

This paper considers the multifaceted nature of state allegiances amidst contemporary geopolitical tensions. It argues that conflicts and war revitalise the significance of state allegiances, revitalizing nationalistic discourses that employ militaristic rhetoric for mimetic warfare. Through a lens of mimetic affinities and alterities, the paper examines how nationalist narratives construct ideas of shared kinship and the exclusion of Others. It also considers the implications for individuals navigating multiple allegiances, with a specific focus on Russian-background people in Finland. By unraveling the complexities of allegiance, the paper underscores the dangerous dynamics of strategic remembrance, public memory and antipathy.

Bio: Dr Sirpa Wrede is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Helsinki and Vice Director of the Research Council of Finland Centre of Excellence for Research in Ageing and Care (CoE AgeCare), where she leads the University of Helsinki's Migration, Care, and Ageing (MICA) research team. With expertise in state and citizenship dynamics, her research focuses on migration, health, ageing, and care. She also examines professional occupations like medical doctors, midwives, nurses, and care workers, exploring themes such as medicalization, migrant workforce integration, digitalisation, and neoliberal reforms. Her current interest lies on understanding how the recent border hostilities are influencing how Russian-background people residing in Finland live their daily lives and how they perceive their future life trajectories.