@hcas.bsky.social
An independent institute for advanced study within the University of Helsinki. We focus on blue-skies research in the humanities and social sciences and promote innovative multidisciplinary interaction.
Portrait of a person wearing glasses and a black blazer, smiling.
“The interdisciplinary dialogue at the Collegium played an important role in shaping my theoretical thinking and in encouraging methodological openness.”
Featured in the #HCASAlumni Gallery is Senior University Lecturer & Docent Mari Wiklund (@helsinki.fi).
www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-...
A person standing on a sandy beach with calm ocean water and a small, dome-shaped island in the background.
”The warm feeling of companionship between fellows fostered my academic growth and continues to inspire me.”
Professor of Sociology Ugo Corte (University of Stavanger) considers his fellowship at HCAS to be a foundational step in his career. #HCASAlumni
Read more: www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-...
HCAS Fellows Olesya Khanina and Michael Yoshitaka Erlewine have secured permanent academic positions. Khanina will begin a full professorship at the Univ. of Helsinki in Fall 2026, while Erlewine has taken up a permanent research position at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).
02.02.2026 12:56 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
A panel discussion in a lecture room with HCAS Research Coordinator Juhana Toivanen standing at the front holding a microphone, while five seated panelists face an audience. A large projected slide behind them displays the title “Happiness? Politics, Promises, and Practices".
HCAS Fellows Satu Venäläinen, Acer Chang, Amanda Lagerkvist, and Olesya Khanina seated in a semicircle during a discussion, viewed from behind Rob Boddice who is gesturing while speaking.
HCAS Fellow Kristina Jacobsen playing an acoustic guitar in a dimly lit room, with audience members seated in the foreground.
It was a full house at the Collegium last night for the Night of Science! Warm thanks to everyone who visited us and a special thanks to all the fellows who contributed to the evening.
23.01.2026 12:48 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
HCAS Director Hanne Appelqvist and Fellow Annastiina Kallius with representatives of the Human Rights Committee of the German Bundestag.
Yesterday, HCAS had the distinct pleasure of hosting the Human Rights Committee of the German Bundestag, along with the representatives of the German Embassy in Helsinki. Annastiina Kallius's presentation on media-driven political influence was followed by a lively discussion among the participants.
20.01.2026 11:15 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
A group of over 60 fellows from the Finnish Institutes for Advanced Study smiling at the camera.
Last week, the Helsinki Collegium hosted the annual meeting for the Finnish Institutes for Advanced Study. This year's theme for discussion was 'contested knowledge'.
19.01.2026 12:14 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0The Night of Science at HCAS will conclude with a musical performance by Kristina Jacobsen. Joined by Carolina Stenbäck on cello and Emma Polyakov on fiddle, Jacobsen invites listeners into the soundscape of Spain’s Camino de Santiago.
🗓️ Thursday, January 22, 7:45–8:45 pm, HCAS Common Room.
A blue-toned poster featuring the silhouette of tree. Overlayed text reads "Happiness? Politics, Promises, and Practices. 22.1.2026 at HCAS."
“The end toward which all human acts are directed is happiness” – but what is happiness, and what does it have to do with how people feel? What does it mean to live in the ‘happiest country in the world’?
🗓️ Night of Science at the Helsinki Collegium, Thursday, January 22.
Why does it make sense to use AI to understand how humans use language? What do sorcery and witchcraft have to do with conspiracy theories? How are religious communities responding to today’s environmental issues?
Meet the people who make the Helsinki Collegium on the Night of Science at HCAS.
HCAS Fellows Nataša Pantić and Olle Blomberg have been awarded major research grants from the European Research Council (ERC) and the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskaprådet) in calls decided in the fall of 2025. Together, the grants amount to nearly €2.5 million.
12.01.2026 10:23 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Friedrich Stadler standing in front of a full bookshelf, wearing a gray blazer and eyeglasses.
“If there is such a thing as intellectual sustainability, then my 'Nordic connection' in Helsinki is a good example of it!”
#HCASAlumni of the Month Prof. Emer. Friedrich Stadler (@univie.ac.at) has come to think of Helsinki almost as a second home. Read more: www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-...
Walter Rech sitting outside in a blue button-up and eyeglasses, smiling.
“The Collegium gives its fellows the opportunity to conduct cutting-edge research in a uniquely stimulating and open environment.
Featured as #HCASAlumni of the Month is Research Professor Walter Rech (Tallinn University). Read more: www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-...
Couldn’t make it to HCAS Erkko Professor Kevin Durrheim’s lecture “Polarization: In Mind, Social Media and Public Life”? The full recording is now online!
15.12.2025 13:41 — 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0Rob Boddice makes another appearance on Child, this time discussing sadness: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
15.12.2025 13:07 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Great news! HCAS Core Fellow Rob Boddice is featured in the latest issue of The Atlantic.
09.12.2025 14:19 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Headshot of Alan Warde. Photo by University of Manchester.
”The stay in Helsinki gave me time to develop a new tranche of ideas which continue to inspire my research and writing.”
Alan Warde, Prof. Emer. & former Jane and Aatos Erkko Professor, fondly reminisces about his time at HCAS. Read more in the #HCASAlumni Gallery: www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-...
Natalya Bekhta sitting outside, smiling. Photo by Veikko Somerpuro.
"Looking back at my time at HCAS, it was clearly some of the best years in my academic life."
Featured in this month’s #HCASAlumni Gallery is Natalya Bekhta. For Natalya, the Collegium provided the ideal environment for growth and the development of ideas. Read more: www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-...
Professor Kevin Durrheim’s public lecture on polarization starts at 4:15 pm! Join us at Metsätalo Lecture Hall 1 or online via Unitube: video.helsinki.fi/unitube/live...
03.12.2025 12:52 — 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0HCAS Fellow @boddice.bsky.social was recently featured on the BBC Radio 4 podcast Child. As a historian of emotions, Rob commented on how fear might have manifested in the lives and beliefs of Puritan children.
Listen to the full episode: www.bbc.com/audio/play/m...
Screenshot of Annastiina Kallius giving a comment in Yle A-Studio.
Screenshot of Mona Mannevuo giving a comment in Ylen aamu.
Screenshot of Teivo Teivainen giving a comment in Yle A-Studio.
HCAS Fellows have recently been active in public outreach. In October, the Finnish media alone featured Annastiina Kallius, Mona Mannevuo, and Teivo Teivainen, who commented on timely issues in global politics and the impact of fatigue on today's working life.
24.11.2025 13:09 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
A blue-toned poster featuring the silhouette of tree. Overlayed text reads "Happiness? Politics, Promises, and Practices. 22.1.2026 at HCAS."
We’re opening our doors for the Night of Science 2026!
Meet our fellows at an open office hour, join a roundtable on happiness, and immerse yourself in the soundscape of Spain's Camino de Santiago through music.
Curious for more? Visit: www.tieteidenyo.fi/fi/ohjelma/h...
Congratulations to HCAS Fellow Julia Lajus and her colleagues on their new publication, "Soviet Climate Change Science" (@routledgehistory.bsky.social ). The book examines the role of Soviet scientists in debates on climate change.
Find out more about the publication: doi.org/10.4324/9781...
“Language constructs people and place – that’s where power lives.”
Our Erkko Professor Kevin Durrheim discusses his journey as a researcher, South Africa’s development, and what he calls “human murmuration” in a @helsinki.fi interview.
This Wednesday night, our @koneensaatio.fi Art Fellow Corrie Tan hosted a cozy screening of Eila Babushka: The Past is a Foreign Country, joined by director Matti Elo and protagonist Kim Suponin. Who knew the Common Room would double so well as a private cinema!
07.11.2025 10:50 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Juliette Kennedy looking to the side, smiling.
“When I think back on my time at HCAS I remember my beautiful office, which gave me the solitude to get work done; but I also remember the new friends I made, some of whom I am still in touch with.”
Assoc. Prof. Juliette Kennedy is #HCASAlumni of the Month!
www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-...
Headshot of Frog. Photo by Veikko Somerpuro.
“The Collegium is an oasis in the current academic milieu where academic freedom is increasingly curtailed and closeted."
Assoc. Prof. Frog is featured in the November 2025 edition of the #HCASAlumni Gallery!
Read more: www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-...
Headshot of Kevin Durrheim smiling widely. Overlaid text reads: Polarization – In mind, social media and public life. Photo by Veikko Somerpuro.
HCAS warmly welcomes everyone to a public lecture by social psychologist Kevin Durrheim, our current Jane and Aatos Erkko Visiting Professor.
Join us for the lecture in Metsätalo (Hall 1) or online, on December 3 at 4:15 pm.
For more details, visit our website: www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-...
Svenska YLE interviewed Fred Markowitz, our Professorial Fellow 2025–26, on what might make Finland an attractive place for US scholars. yle.fi/a/7-10086211
20.10.2025 07:41 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Heterogeneity and variation in cognition, language, and behavior, November 27 at HCAS and online!
Read more and register: www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-...
Portrait of Mikko Tolonen looking directly at the camera, arms crossed. Photo by Maarit Kytöharju.
“I benefited enormously from the freedom and responsibility entrusted to me at HCAS.”
Featured in our #HCASAlumni Gallery this month is Professor of Digital Humanities Mikko Tolonen (@helsinki.fi).
Read more: www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-...
