Gender, Solidarity, and Inclusion in Youth Studies Symposium
Åbo Akademi (Turku, Finland), 24–25 September 2025
Gender plays a profound and multifaceted role in young people's lives, shaping their experiences and opportunities in often complex ways. In contemporary times, youth are living in a world with numerous simultaneous crises –from environmental challenges to political polarization and social inequality. These crises are compounded by the increasingly contentious political discourse around gender, which risks reinforcing binaries and neglecting the nuanced, intersectional realities of young people. This time calls for a critical approach to youth studies for deeper discussions on gender and gendered phenomena in the Nordic countries, especially of the lives of marginalized groups, such as LGBTQ+, racialized, Indigenous, and disabled youth.
The symposium aims to challenge the gender-neutral discourse on youth and notice that growing up is a gendered process that should be addressed more thoroughly. Our ambition is to approach gender in young people's lives in a manner that does not shy away from difficult and hurtful issues. However, we simultaneously emphasize an inclusive debate, where thoughts, ideas, and feelings can be expressed safely.
Program:
24.9. Wed
13.00 Welcome words
13.30-14.30 Keynote I: Masculinity and relationship transitions in young people’s lives Kalle Berggren, Ph.D. in Sociology, Docent/Associate Professor in Gender Studies, Stockholm University
14–15 coffee break
15.00–18.00 Presentations, 4 papers (20 min + 10 min discussion)
15.00–15.30 Ennaliina Leiwo, University of Turku: “Authenticity” as an ethical-aesthetic ideal in contemporary Finnish youth literature
15.30–16.00 Margarita Fontecha, University of Guelph: Navigating between dreams and realities: An intersectionality approach to understand rural youth aspirations. A case study of Colombia
16.00 Break
16.15–16.45 Liekki Valaskivi, Tampere University: Gender equality in education through the lens of trans theory
16.45–17.15 Matilda Wrede-Jäntti, University of Helsinki: LGBTQI+ issues in schools – teachers’ views on the rainbow workshops held in the Swedish-speaking schools in the city of Helsinki
19 –> Dinner at 18:00 at Restaurant Tårget, Linnankatu 3 A, 20100 Turku
25.9. Thu
9.00–10.00 Keynote II Girlhood studies – historical background and contemporary trends in Sweden Linda Arnell, PhD, Docent, Associate professor, Department of social work / Umeå University
10.15–11.15 Panel discussion Taking Boys Seriously: What has Two Decades of Boyhood and Masculinity Studies Taught Us? – and What We Must Do
11.15.–12.00 Lunch
12.00–15.00 Presentations, 4 papers (20 min + 10 min discussion)
12.15–12.45 Inka Tähkä, University of Helsinki: Representations of young men’s mental health in the Finnish media the 2000’s
12.45–13.15 Laura Paaso, Oulu University of Applied Sciences & Sari Miettinen, Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC), University of Turku: UNIQ – Uniquely Navigating Individual Career Paths
13.15–13.30 Break
13.30–14.00 Päivi Honkatukia & Jenni Kallio & Susanna Ågren, Tampere University: Making Sense of Pressures: Gendered Reflections from Workshops with Young People
14.00–14.30 Elina Lahelma, University of Helsinki: Gender in Finnish Youth Research: Reflections on 40 years of history
Key note speakers:
Kalle Berggren is Associate Professor at the Department of Child and Youth Studies, Stockholm University. With a background in sociology and gender studies, his research has addressed topics such as intersectional dimensions of Swedish hip hop, young men’s violence against women, and masculinity theory. He is co-author of the recent textbook Intersektonalitet (2023), as well as an Associate Editor of the journal Young.
Linda Arnell, Docent and Associate Professor in social work at Umeå University, Sweden. Her expertise lies in children’s living conditions, with a special focus on girl’s victimization, violence, and crimes, and the transgression of gendered norms. In recent years, the focus in her research has been on how violent girls are portrayed in news media, how girls growing up in marginalized areas orientate in relation to social context and norms, and the lives of girls in criminal gangs, and girls in homelessness. Arnell has published peer-reviewed articles, books and chapters both in Sweden and internationally, and she is currently one of the coordinators for the research network FlickForsk! Nordic Network for Girlhood Studies.
Registration
Registration has been closed on September 11, 2025.
More information
For questions, please contact: Helena.Ristaniemi@oulu.fi or Aino.Tormulainen@humak.fi.
Organizers
The symposium is organized by the Gender in Youth Studies network in collaboration with the Finnish Youth Research Society and FlickForsk! Nordic Network for Girlhood Studies.
