Maarit Kastehelmi Sireni

I am a Senior Researcher and Adjunct Professor at the Karelian Institute, University of Eastern Finland. My research focuses on rural societies, everyday wellbeing, social inclusion, safety, place attachment, and rural transformation. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives from human geography, rural studies, and sociology, I examine how social, cultural, material, and environmental factors shape everyday life in rural communities.

My recent work has explored topics such as rural safety and insecurity, access to services, social inclusion, health and wellbeing, community resilience, and the meanings people attach to places. I am particularly interested in how rural residents experience societal change, including demographic shifts and service centralization. I have also contributed to research on place attachment, affective experiences, and rural identities through studies of how landscapes, memories, emotions, and cultural narratives shape people’s connections to places. My work seeks to advance understanding of rural lived experiences and to contribute to more inclusive and sustainable rural development policies.

Research interests: social inclusion, wellbeing, safety and security, place attachment, affective geographies, community resilience, rural development, and qualitative research methods.

Courses: Rural Geography, 5116228, 5 cr (lectures in Finnish).