Dislocations of Civic Cultural Borderlines ― Methodological Nationalism, Transnational Reality and Cosmopolitan Dreams

This book examines changes of citizenship in the light of dislocated habitations. It highlights the ways in which the membership in a local community is shifting away from national frameworks, and explores the dislocations brought about by transnational and cosmopolitan forms of belonging. Containing theoretical, methodological and political contributions, the volume takes part in the social political and cultural discussion around migration, transnationalism, multiculturalism, multiple citizenship and cosmopolitan civic activities. It presents dislocation as a covering concept and a metaphor for describing circumstances in which the conventional ways and frames of conducting social scientific analysis, social policies, or politics no longer suffice. The book shows how scientific and political projects, educational curricula and policy institutions still lean mainly on the logics of mono-cultural nation-states and citizenships, without recognizing the dislocated nature of contemporary citizenship and civil society. Offering solutions, the book proposes new ways of collecting data and conducting analyses, explains the new logics of citizenship and civic activities, and offers tools for developing civic and citizenship policies that consider the transnational reality of people’s everyday lives and life histories.

Pirkkoliisa Ahponen (Ph.D.) Professor (Emerita) Department of Social Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland. Her earlier research dealt with every day-life issues and comparative evaluations of institutional cultural policy. The current research topics concern problems of politics of culture and socio-cultural border-crossings with aims to decrease alienation and advance social and cultural equality of transnational citizens. Expertise of environmental policy issues in developing countries is included in her current interest areas from the theoretical perspective of risks to reflexive modernization. Recent articles include: “Miserable or Golden Karelia? Interpreting a Cross-border Excursion of Students from Finland to Russia”. Journal of Borderland Studies vol. 26. nr. 2. 2011, 2159–1229, and “A Cultural Transformation: The Design of Alienation in the Guise of Creativity” in Devorah Kalekin-Fishman & Ann Denis (eds.) The Shape of Sociology for the 21st Century. Tradition and Renewal. (2012) SAGE. Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore & Washington DC, 254–266. Paivi Harinen (Ph.D.) University lecturer of sociology Department of Social Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland Her research has focused on young people’s societal and cultural memberships, as well as discrimination and racism as forms of social isolating. Her contemporary research deals with diaspora citizenship in different societal contexts and states.

Paivi Harinen (Dr.Soc.Sc) works as a University Lecturer for sociology at the University of Eastern Finland. Her research interests deal with social inequality defined by age, ethnicity, and place of residence.

Ville-Samuli Haverinen (M.Soc.Sc.). Previously (2012–2014), Haverinen has worked as a Junior Researcher in a four-year research project entitledContext of Diaspora Citizenship – Transnational Networks, Social Participation and Social Identification of Somalis in Finland and in the U.S. at the University of Eastern Finland. At present, Haverinen works as a part-time Project Secretary at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. He is a member of a work group that is responsible to organize the12^th Somali Studies International Association Congress. Revisiting Somali Identities – Addressing Gender, Generation and Belonging in Helsinki, Finland in August 2015.Haverinen is also a Ph.D. student at the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland. His research interests focus on the extent to which national models of immigrant integration can provide an explanation for the reality of different political-juridical surroundings as will be empirically observed by analyzing citizenship and integration policies and legislation in Finland and the United States.