Jaana Vuori, Research fellow, Dr. Soc. Sc., adjunct professor

The main themes of my research work are: 1. Cultural diversity, multicultural work and integration of migrants from the perspective of gender and family positions; 2. Conceptualization of family and analysis of family issues, particularly of gendering of parenthood. Related to this, especially the work of family experts; 3. The meaning of diverse texts and text work in societal governance; civic education and guidance 4. Methodology related to qualitative research, particularly discourse analytic and rhetoric close reading of written material. Currently my work focuses on linking text analysis with the ethnographic approach.

Current research in Fluid World Research Development Programme:
Gender and family positions in the processes of integration

Settling down in a new society as a migrant is a process whose contents, turning points or outcome cannot be defined in advance. However, from the perspective of the “receiving” society, it is a process that can be guided by policies or measures taken by the authorities and civil society. In my research I examine what integration is as an activity of the kind of professionals who work full time to solve the issues related to immigrant clients or immigration on the local level.
My first research question, what is integration as work, is an issue that concerns institutional practices. Answering this question is necessary from the point of view of two most essential questions. These are questions related to culture research of what kinds of meanings are given to gender and family positions when integration is looked at, on the one hand, from the perspective of knowledge of immigrants, and on the other hand, from the perspective of knowledge of culture concerning Finnish society. How do integration work and integration policy give meanings to the immigrants’ gender and family positions? How do integration work and integration policy present the gender and family system of Finnish society into which immigrants are integrated?
The questions are tied to each other by the concept of citizenship. Integration is a social right that creates a bond between the immigrants and government/society at large, and intertwines the immigrants with the institutional practices of Finnish society. It constructs social and cultural citizenship in many ways long before the immigrants even have a chance to apply for state citizenship. At the same time it is a process which defines the conditions and limits of their belonging and participation. Alongside the legal, political and economic conditions, it is important to contemplate citizenship also as symbolic belonging and as involving fundamental questions of recognizing differences between citizens. Feminist research has focused on analysing the conditions of women’s citizenship: on gender equality issues as well as on contradictions between waged work citizenship and care citizenship. As society is becoming more and more diverse culturally, we are compelled to look at the meaning of gender, sexuality and family positions in issues concerning citizenship in a new way.
I do not, however, look at citizenship on the abstract level of policy and politicians but close to everyday practices and in the encounters of professionals and their clients with immigrant backgrounds. Therefore I am developing a concept of citizenship events, which enables us to link extensive theoretical discussions with empirical, micro-level analysis conducted in the spirit of ethnography.
The ethnographic research data was collected primarily in the period 2003–2005. It consists of 21 interviews with those professionals who work full time with immigrant clients or deal with immigration issues as well as of observations made about customized special services directed to immigrants. In addition, I have collected public text material on immigrant work, for example guide books, project descriptions, policy documents and study materials for professionals.

Publications related to the topic:

Vuori, Jaana (2009) Guiding Migrants to the Realm of Gender Equality. In Complying with Colonialism. Gender, Race and Ethnicity in the Nordic Regíon. Ed. by Suvi Keskinen, Salla Tuori, Sari Irni and Diana Mulinari. London: Ashgate, 207–224.

Vuori, Jaana (2007) Perheen nimissä: maahanmuuttajien opastusta tasa-arvoon. [In the Name of the Family. Educating Migrants to Equality] In Perhetyön tieto [Knowledge in Family Work], ed by J. Vuori & R. Nätkin. Tampere: Vastapaino, 129–168.

Manuscripts:

Vuori, Jaana (forthcoming 2011) Tekstilajit kansalaisten valistuksessa [Genres of .civic eduction and guidance]. Accepted for Tekstilajitutkimuksen käytäntöä. [Practice of genre research] ed. by Vesa Heikkinen, Eero Voutilainen, Ulla Tiililä, Petri Lauerma & Mikko Lounela. Helsinki: The Research Institute for the Languages of Finland.

Keskinen, Suvi & Vuori, Jaana & Hirsiaho, Anu (eds.) (manuscript, submitted January 2011) Monikulttuurisuuden sukupuoli. Kansalaisuus ja erot hyvinvointiyhteiskunnassa. [Multicultural gender. Citizenship and differences in a Welfare society.]

Keskinen, Suvi & Vuori, Jaana (manuscript, submitted January 2011) Erot, kuuluminen ja osallisuus hyvinvointiyhteiskunnassa. [Differences, belonging and participation in a welfare society]. Introduction to Keskinen, Suvi & Vuori, Jaana & Hirsiaho, Anu (eds.) Monikulttuurisuuden sukupuoli. Kansalaisuus ja erot hyvinvointiyhteiskunnassa. [Multicultural gender. Citizenship and differences in a Welfare society.]

Vuori, Jaana (manuscript, submitted, January 2011]): Äiti peiton alla. Arjen kansalaisuus ja kotouttamistyö. [Mother under the blanket. Everyday citizenship and integration work]. In Keskinen, Suvi & Vuori, Jaana & Hirsiaho, Anu (eds.) Monikulttuurisuuden sukupuoli. Kansalaisuus ja erot hyvinvointiyhteiskunnassa. . [Multicultural gender. Citizenship and differences in a Welfare society.]