Kaisa
Kuurne
Areas of expertise
Biography
I work as a University Lecturer in Sociology and conduct social science research at the University of Turku. I earned my PhD in Sociology (Doctor of Social Sciences, 2010) from the University of Helsinki and was granted the title of Docent (Adjunct Professor) in Sociology, with a specialization in social wellbeing studies, at the University of Eastern Finland in 2016. Previously, I have worked at the University of Helsinki, the University of Eastern Finland, and as a Fellow at the interdisciplinary Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University from 2011 to 2015. I have also held visiting researcher positions at several European universities.
Teaching
Teaching: (in Finnish)
- Candidate seminar (bachelor's programme)
- Qualitative research methods, text analysis (master's programme)
- Yhteiskunnallinen muutos (bachelor's programme)
Research
I am fascinated by the vitality and cycles of life, and by how we relationally construct our lives in connection with others, with materials and with the surrounding world. Throughout my research career, I have studied the relational nature of human life, social bonds, the question of belongings, and the dynamics of living together. In my doctoral dissertation in sociology, I examined relational selfhood, social ties, and the configurations of close relationships in moments of vulnerability. I found how ideological and over-rationalized the western individualistic conception of the human being s and how fundamentally a person's own life story and relational formations are intertwined
In my postdoctoral projects (2010–2017), I focused on issues of close relationships, agency, and relationality, as well as the sense of home and unexpected moments of closeness and belonging in active neighborhoods in Helsinki, New York, and Madrid (Academy of Finland Postdoctoral Researcher Project 2014–2017).
Currently, I lead the research project “Struggle over Birth — The Transformation of Finnish Birth Culture” (2020–2025), funded by the Kone Foundation and based at the Universities of Helsinki and Turku. In this project, we explore childbirth, birthing experiences, reproductive politics, and the broader transformation of Finnish birth culture.