Intergroup relations and local encounters – Immigrant and Finnish young people’s perceptions of each other, their lives and future in multicultural Savo

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Project

01.01.2023 - 31.12.2026

Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies

Information People

Leaders

Jari Martikainen

University Lecturer

Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies

Contact persons

Jari Martikainen

University Lecturer

Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies

The background of the study

The global increase in international migration and the growing number of refugees both globally and in Finland – as a result of the war in Ukraine and the crisis in Afghanistan, for example – raises several questions about the relations and encounters between people from multi-cultural backgrounds and local populations. What are the thoughts and experiences of people who must move to a foreign country and settle down with people from other cultural backgrounds? How can people from different backgrounds live together? How could co-existence between people be supported? Driven by these questions, this research project, which is anchored in the discipline of social psychology, looks at the increasingly multicultural Savo and examines not only Finns but also the largest groups of immigrants in Kuopio – those from Ukraine and the Middle East – and their relations with each other.

Objectives and tasks of the research project

The research project uses art-based research methods and art-based working methods to examine the representations and experiences of young people who have migrated to Savo from Ukraine and the Middle East and young Finns living in Savo about each other, their lives, and their future in multicultural Savo. The study focuses on how representations of groups from a different cultural background and the meanings given to the place, i.e. Savo, are interwoven with inter-group relations. The theoretical frameworks of the study are social representations theory, social identity theory and social psychology of place. From a social psychological perspective, the study provides new insights into the relations between immigrant groups and the local population, the relations between different immigrant groups and the role of place in social identity. The project will also develop methodological approaches to art-based research methods in the context of the combination of the previous theoretical frameworks and the study of inter-group relations.

Art-based work in art workshops, which is at the heart of the project, will serve as a meeting place for young people from different backgrounds and as a method for generating research data. Art-based research methods combine a citizen science approach, whereby young people are co-investigators and participate, for example, in the analysis of the data, the presentation of the workshops’ outputs, and the development of the project. The project will give young people a voice, promote interaction between young people from different cultural backgrounds and use art-based research methods to support their participation in society.

Funders and partners

The research project is funded by the Kone Foundation.

News

Savon sanomat wrote a story about the project's mural painting event
18.02.2024
As part of the project, a mural painting event was organized in February 2024, where young people participating in the project had the opportunity to…

Savon sanomat wrote a story about the project's mural painting event

Events in the project

Below is a list of recent events in the project.

Mural painting event at Kuopio University Hospital 17.-18.2.2024

Local young people from Ukraine and Finland painted a mural of their design together with research project members Jari Martikainen, Katja Lötjönen, Hadi Farahan, Helena Rovamo and Henna Hietainen, art expert at Kuopio University Hospital. The mural was painted on the staircase in the D-building of Kuopio University Hospital (KUH). The young people who participated in the research project designed and produced a mural on the theme of “Encounters” through art workshop work. The visual imagery of the mural contains themes common to all young people, such as nature, animals, water, friendship, caring for others, space and the universe.
Organization of art-based workshops

The young people involved in the research project took part in the design process of a mural at Kuopio University Hospital. The theme of the mural is “Encounters”.

Presentation at the Youth Research Days 2023

Jari Martikainen gave a presentation at the Youth Studies Days on 8-9 November 2023, the theme of which was “The Diversity of Hope”. Martikainen’s presentation dealt with the potential of art-based research workshops to act as contact zones for young people with refugee or migrant backgrounds and Finnish youth. The preliminary results of the research linked to the project show that art-based activities can enable young people from immigrant and Finnish backgrounds to structure and express their thoughts and feelings and share them with each other despite the lack of a common language. It also seems that it may be possible to cross the boundaries of us versus them and language and culture through individual and collaborative arts-based activities – creating a contact space to facilitate interaction between young people and encourage new contacts. The presentation suggests that arts-based methods can therefore provide a means to facilitate contact between groups and enable a stronger sense of social cohesion and belonging.

Conference presentation at the BOMOCULT conference 2023

Jari Martikainen gave a conference presentation at the BOMOCULT conference on borders, mobility and cultural encounters on 5-6 October 2023. The presentation focused on the use of art-based research workshops as a means of creating contact zones for young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds and Finnish youth. Martikainen presented the contents and objectives of the three art workshops included in the study, as well as some preliminary results on the topic. The study gives indications that art-based activities can help young people from immigrant and Finnish backgrounds to map, express and share their feelings and thoughts, regardless of the lack of a common language. The potential benefits of individual and collaborative arts-based activities include the crossing of divisions between us and them, language and culture – and the creation of contact zones through which interaction can be promoted and new relationships encouraged.

Visit at the Spirit of Kannu -exhibition with research participans in 23.8.2023

Jari Martikainen, Katja Lötjönen and Helena Rovamo and the young people who participated in the research project visited the exhibition Kannun henki at the Kuopio Art Museum on 23.8.2023. The graffiti and street art exhibition, produced in cooperation between the Kuopio Art Museum and the street art association Urbaani ry, brought together a wide range of urban art, from text-based graffiti to street art and documentary material.

The research project’s third arts-based workshop in August 2023

The research project’s third arts-based workshop was held at the Kuopio campus of the University of Eastern Finland on the 14th and 16th of August. The participants were young people living in the Savo area and youngsters who had moved to Savo from Ukraine and the Middle East.

The theme of the third arts-based workshop was ’future,’ or, more precisely, how the young people position themselves in the future in relation to other people and the Savo area. In the workshop, the participants used various techniques (i.e., photography, painting, and drawing) to make self-portraits of themselves in the future. Additionally, the young people drew a narrative based on their portraits. This third workshop produced written and visual material that will be analyzed in the research project.

Summer school at the University of Bergen 5.-15.6.2023: Childhood – Nurturing care for building the future

Project researcher Hadi Farahani participated in the Bergen Summer Research School 2023, which was held under the theme “Childhood – Nurturing care for building the future”. The summer school took place at the University of Bergen from 5 to 15 June 2023. This is how Farahani describes his participation experience:

“Attending the Bergen Summer Research School 2023 was an enriching experience centered around the theme “BSRS 2023: Childhood — Nurturing care for building the future.” During the course titled “Contested Childhood in the Context of Migration,” I had the opportunity to present my research project titled “Intergroup Relations and Local Encounters – Immigrant and Finnish Teenagers’ Perceptions of Each Other, Their Lives, and Future in Multicultural Savo.” The school provided a vibrant platform for interdisciplinary discussions and collaborations, fostering an environment conducive to academic growth and innovation. The positive feedback I received for my research topic underscored its relevance and significance in addressing contemporary societal challenges. Engaging with fellow scholars and experts in the field enabled me to gain valuable insights into the complexities of intergroup relations in multicultural contexts. This experience truly reinforced the Bergen Summer Research School’s role as a profoundly constructive scientific event, equipping me with the knowledge and inspiration to advance the research agenda and contribute meaningfully to the discourse on childhood, migration, and societal integration.”

The research project’s second arts-based workshop in June 2023

The research project’s second arts-based workshop was held at the Kuopio campus of the University of Eastern Finland on the 5th and 12th of June. The participants were young people living in the Savo area and youngsters who had moved to Savo from Ukraine and the Middle East.

The theme of the second arts-based workshop was ’encounters,’ or, more precisely, intergroup relations between people with different cultural backgrounds. In the workshop, the young people drew, painted, wrote, and discussed their images of people from different cultural background and their experiences of multicultural encounters in the Savo area. The youngsters worked both independently and in multicultural groups together with other participants. The group works were recorded on video. The second workshop produced visual, written, verbal, and video material that will be analyzed in the research project.

The research project’s first arts-based workshop in May 2023

The research project’s first arts-based workshop was held at the Kuopio campus of the University of Eastern Finland on the 23rd and 24th of May. The participants were young people living in the Savo area and youngsters who had moved to Savo from Ukraine and the Middle East.

The theme of the first arts-based workshop was ’place,’ or, more precisely, life in the multicultural Savo. In the workshop, the participants considered their images and experiences of Savo as a place of residence through arts-based methods, such as photography and collage techniques. The youngsters worked both independently and in groups with other youngsters with similar cultural backgrounds. Additionally, the participants wrote about the produced works and discussed them in group discussions facilitated by the researchers. The first workshop produced visual, written, and verbal material that will be analyzed in the research project.