Pauliina Lukinmaa

I work as a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Humanities, University of Eastern Finland. In my postdoctoral project, funded by the Kone Foundation (2023–2026), I study the everyday practices, networks, and expressions of transnational solidarity among Russian-speaking LGBTIQ+ activists in the Baltic states and online, particularly following Russia’s full-scale war of aggression in Ukraine in 2022. My ethnographic PhD research (2022) examined the development and forms of LGBTIQ+ activism in St. Petersburg during the late 2010s.

Starting from November 2025, I will work part-time on a project funded by the Academy of Finland, titled “Menopausing: Diversity, Awareness, and Activism” (2024–2028). Drawing on Queer and Cultural Studies, I investigate menopause activist communities and influencers in Finland who strive to advance gender and age equity. More in detail, I explore the transformative power of LGBTIQ+ menopause communities, examining how they create spaces for gender ambiguity and fluidity, encouraging a rethinking of identity, gender, and aging.

I am a board member of the Association for Gender Studies in Finland and a vice member at the executive team of the national HILMA Network for Gender Studies.