Reeta
Kangas
Contact
Areas of expertise
Biography
I finished my PhD in Russian studies at the University of Turku in 2017. My dissertation examined animal symbolism and its functions in the Soviet Kukryniksy trio’s political cartoons from the Cold War era. Before my PhD, I completed my Master’s degree in Russian studies at the University of Turku and an MPhil degree in Russian studies at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. I am currently finishin an MA in English. During my free time, I like to participate in a variety of activities, including but not limited to running, reading, gaming, knitting and analogue photography – especially with old Soviet cameras.
Teaching
My expertise revolves around Russian art and Soviet propaganda, especially visual propaganda, as well as Russian and Soviet art. At the University of Turku I have taught Bachelor's level courses in Russian Studies and Master's level courses in Russian Studies as well as Art History. The courses have ranged from language courses to more specialised courses in my areas of expertise. I have also taught science education and Russian cultural history at the University of Helsinki.
Research
My research in general is interdisciplinary by nature. My research interests include Russian and Soviet art, political art, propaganda (especially visual propaganda), human-animal studies, frame theory, as well as the interplay of the visual with the textual in art, e.g. political cartoons and comics. My research focuses on how visual art is used to influence the audience’s worldviews and strengthen a state’s “official” narrative, as well as how cultural artefacts strengthen certain frames that the audience uses to think about the world. I am also interested in the relationship of state memory politics and the depiction of the past in textual-visual culture. Recently my research interests have also ventured towards animals and transnationality in Finnish and English language literature.