Ongoing Projects  

Transnationalisation, Migration and Transformation: Multi-Level Analysis of Migrant Transnationalism (TRANS-NET)  
TRANS-NET is a three-year research project funded (1 499 920 euros) by the European Commission's DG-Research (7FP). The objective of this three-year research project is to clarify and compare the complex process of transnationalism. During the past few years, transnationalism has attained ever greater importance and topicality due to the increase in transnational mobility of people. In order to attain a comprehensive and valid insight into the topic in question we adopt a multilevel approach. The research conducted in Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Morocco, Turkey, and the United Kingdom addresses both policy documents and individual migrants, including labour migrants, posted workers, family-based migrants, humanitarian migrants, and foreign degree students. The focus lies on their transnational networks and political, economic, and socio-cultural activities. Moreover, the topic of transnational empowering is of central importance. The following transnational spaces will be taken as the main units to analyse the border-crossing relationships: Estonia/Finland, India/UK, Morocco/France, and Turkey/Germany. Research data will be gathered through content analysis of policy documents and semi-structured and life-course interviews among a selected sample of respondents in each participating country.
Researchers at the University of Tampere: professor Pirkko Pitkänen (Project Co-ordinator), Pauliina Järvinen-Alenius, Elisa Keski-Hirvelä, 
On project management: Virve Kallioniemi-Chambers
website: http://www.uta.fi/laitokset/kasvlait/projektit/transnet/

Recognition of Cultural Diversity in Intercultural Interaction Arenas
The research consortium includes University of Tampere (Department of Education), University of Eastern Finland (Department of Finnish Language and Cultural Research) and Family Federation of Finland (Population Research Institute). The project is funded by Academy of Finland, Ministry of Education and Finnish Kuntaliitto. The aim of the multi-disciplinary research project is to generate an adequate understanding of the ways in which the increase in national and cultural diversity influences the everyday lives of people in Finland, especially in the city-regions of Tampere, Helsinki and Joensuu. Theory and concept development is an integral part of the research process. Furthermore, in each participating city, we will investigate how the objectives of socio-cultural and economic integration, and their educational implications, have been defined and expressed in the policy documents and how they have been implemented in day-to-day life of people. Everyday experiences of intercultural encounters will be investigated among highly skilled professionals, bus drivers, posted workers, jobseekers, refugees, and degree students of foreign origin, as well as among their Finnish colleagues, supervisors, and other fellow people. The elementary aim is to help policy-makers and authorities to implement the goals presented in the new Finnish Immigration Policy Programme (2006), as well as to design immigration policy at local levels.
Researchers: Professor Pirkko Pitkänen (person in charge), Mika Raunio (Tampere), Minna Säävälä (Helsinki), Niina Kovalainen (Tampere), Elisa Keski-Hirvelä (Tampere), Sari Hammar-Suutari (Joensuu), Tarja Munne (Joensuu)
website: http://www.uta.fi/projects/saiia

Finland's representation in the working groups of Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA)
The Department of Education in the University of Tampere together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating the work of Finnish ADEA representation. ADEA was founded in 1988 as a donors' forum for African education. It has become a network that promotes meetings, dialogue and partnerships between African education ministers, development agencies, ministry professionals and experts, universities, research institutions and civil society. The aim of ADEA is to strengthen the possibilities to realize education that supports sustainable development through policy dialogue, partnerships, research, building social capital, improving access and quality of education and acting as a catalyst for innovative policies and practices.
Essential in the activities of ADEA are the working groups of different educational themes. Through the working groups Finland aims to enhance the development of education in Africa. There are officials and experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the University of Tampere, the University of Oulu and from The Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE), who are involved in the Finnish ADEA activities. They participate in the following working groups:
- Educational Management and Policy Support
- Teaching Profession
- Early Childhood Development
- Higher Education
The principle is to promote the African ownership, action and responsibility in different fields of education. The objective for Finland is also to gain information and knowledge about the development cooperation in education, add interest towards the development issues in Africa and create partnerships and networks between the African and Finnish higher education institutions.
website: www.adeanet.org
For more information, please contact: Riikka Salokangas (riikka.salokangas(at)uta.fi)
ADEA-Coordinator, Department of Education, University of Tampere