Editor’s note: As the leaves are turning yellow and the air is getting crisper, I asked the new cohort of fellows to reflect on what they are hoping to achieve during their time at TIAS. Here are some of their thoughts on their research projects and fellowship.
“With my research project – A heritage ethics for relational ontologies – I hope to conduct research that can have a real-world impact. Heritage policies, legislation and governance have material consequences in the world, determining what is protected, how it is managed, and, in extension, what more-than-human congregations will be sustained or changed. Consequently, it has direct implications for more-than-human care and justice. Heritage institutions, however, remain bound by frameworks that are poorly suited to address questions of ecological processes and multispecies relations and interdependencies. My research aims to reconceptualise cultural and natural preservation and governance as a moral and political act that shapes ecological relations over time.” – Anna Karlson (Senior Research Fellow, Turku Intersectoral Excellence Scheme 2/Marie Skłodowska-Curie)
“My research at TIAS will focus on two main areas. First, I will examine the relevance of the Baltic region as a major cultural crossroads through the performing arts in the early twentieth century with a particular focus on the artistic exchanges and transnational networks between Latvia and Spain. Second, I will unravel the meaning of gestures, examining the embodied identities, imaginaries, and ideologies that can be traced using the concept of the “Body as Archive” and Digital Humanities techniques. By doing so, the outcomes of my project will enable me to develop a new gesture-based approach to analyse socio-political shifts that took place in the Baltic region during the interwar period, using a meaningful acronym for Latvian citizens: BRIVS (which means free).” – Gonzalo Preciado Azanza (Senior Research Fellow, TIES2/MSCA)
“I have—for better and for worse—always been motivated to do research that eclectically and creatively combines and reworks elements from multiple disciplines to better understand global sexual and gender diversity, drawing on insights from International Relations, political theory, gender studies, and European studies. During my time at TIAS, I plan to continue on this path by expanding my theoretical, empirical and methodological expertise beyond what I thought possible during my PhD. Having explored polarisation over LGBTIQ+ equality within the EU, I look forward to engaging more broadly with contestation over sexual and gender diversity in global politics and in the EU’s engagement with the rest of the world. The freedom, trust, interdisciplinary collegial support and encouragement for blue-sky thinking that come with this position at TIAS are a great privilege.” – Malte Breiding (Senior Research Fellow, TIES2/MSCA)
“I want to use this fellowship to really establish myself as an expert on doctoral education in Cameroon and across Africa. The topic is only just starting to grow in importance, and TIAS gives me protected time and support to study it in depth and from a comparative angle, including other African countries and, eventually, the Nordic region. My goal is for the research I do here to become a solid foundation for my long-term work, i.e., something that others can build on, and that can feed into practical solutions to the challenges facing doctoral education on the continent. Strengthening my expertise in this area will also help me position myself for a future tenure-track role. Along the way, I hope to build lasting connections and work closely with colleagues who are interested in similar questions around higher education reform.” – Ransom Ngenge (Senior Research Fellow, TIES2/MSCA)
“My research study at TIAS focuses on advancing the inclusive co-design of financial cybersecurity literacy education with people with intellectual disabilities and people with deafblindness in Finland and South Africa. The study responds to the growing need for financial cybersecurity education, products, and services that are accessible, inclusive, and responsive to the diverse needs and experiences of persons with disabilities. It seeks to contribute to strengthening financial consumer protection for persons with disabilities, particularly those who may experience greater barriers to accessing and safely using digital financial services, products and environment. In addition, the project will contribute to the co-development of inclusive co-design principles and practical guidelines for improving the accessibility of financial cybersecurity literacy products and services. These principles and guidelines will be co-developed collaboratively with diverse people with intellectual disabilities, people with deafblindness and others. Ultimately, the study seeks to contribute to a more inclusive, accessible, and secure digital financial ecosystem in which persons with disabilities can participate meaningfully, exercise greater autonomy, and access financial services with confidence and security.” – James Rwampigi Aniyamuzaala (Senior Research Fellow, TIES2/MSCA)
“My research project at TIAS examines overtourism through the concept I call “wounded destinations.” It asks which harms become visible when overtourism is understood not simply as a problem of excessive visitor numbers, but as a process that can leave lasting social, spatial, and emotional effects on places and communities. At the centre of the project is the idea that tourism related harms can accumulate over time and remain embedded in everyday life through processes of touristification. The project therefore pays particular attention to residents’ lived experiences, emotions, perceptions, and expressions of discontent. I seek to develop a justice-oriented governance framework for European cultural destinations that can respond to both the immediate pressures of overtourism and the longer-term consequences of touristification. TIAS will play an important role in this journey by providing the academic environment, support, and opportunities that will help me develop my research.” – Abolfazl Siyamiyan Gorji (Senior Research Fellow, TIES2/MSCA)
