Väki 1/2019 by Väki Magazine

1/ 2 019 M U U T O S C H A N G E

Päätoimittajat IINA HOLOPAINEN SAKARI MESIMÄKI Art Director RONYA HIRSMA Kirjoittajat IINA HOLOPAINEN, MÉLODIE SINKARI, SONJARIITTA LAINE, JUUDA TAMMINEN, SAKARI MESIMÄKI, JANNE VASARAINEN Kuvaajat ja kuvittajat JULIA LEPPÄNEN, RONYA HIRSMA, SONJA-RIITTA LAINE, VEERA NIVALAINEN, SAKARI MESIMÄKI, JUUDA TAMMINEN, JANNE VASARAINEN Kansikuvat RONYA HIRSMA, JULIA LEPPÄNEN Taitto RONYA HIRSMA, SAKARI MESIMÄKI IINA HOLOPAINEN, SIIRI SANDBERG, SATU MYLLYMÄKI

Oikoluku ELSA MARTTINEN, SANNI MARTIKAINEN Kiitokset SARI MEURMAN, MARIA MÖLSÄ, ANNIKA LEPISTÖ, ANDREW GRAAN, PEKKA FREESE, KAISLA-PUBIN ANTROPOLOGIT, MANA RY HALLITUS Yhteystiedot @VAKILEHTI VAKIMAGAZINE@GMAIL.COM

Pääkirjoitus

What to do with Puhos?

Bring your whole self to work or else

Kysy Väeltä

Interview: Andrew Graan

The Utopian Manifesto

Vallankumous

Manan hallitus esittäyttyy

Kuvia Kalliosta

IINA HOLOPAINEN & SAKARI MESIMÄKI

Hello friend, and thank you for picking up the year’s first edition of Väki magazine. The real theme of this issue, like all issues, is publishing whatever the hell we feel like publishing. This time our feelings took us to explore the changes and continuities of casual drinking in Kallio, recorded faithfully in the film of Veera Nivalainen, and perhaps less faithfully in memories of (auto)ethnographer Iina Holopainen and local interlocutor Elsa Marttinen. Juuda Tamminen also contributes a piece on the theme of urban change, detailing the transformation of east Helsinki’s Puho’s shopping centre through his own research and visits to the site. Sakari Mesimäki complains and contemplates (contemplains?) on the corporate cultures of late capitalism, while Sonja-Riitta Laine takes us to bubbly, foaming utopias – the best kind, to be sure. We are also delighted to publish an interview with our wellloved lecturer Andrew Graan, who Mélodie Sinkari sat down with to discuss his journeys through academia, Macedonia, Finland, and the Pasila police department, among other things. This issue also coincides with a changing of the guard at the Väki editorial team, as we take over the magazine from the stalwart stewardship of the previous editors Milla Heikkinen and Jenna Honkanen. We have also newly instituted the position of Art Director to bring some visual flair to our pages, and are grateful for Ronya Hirsma for agreeing to take on this role after only a minimum of strong-arming and flattery. The guard has also changed at the anthropology student’s organisation Mana ry, the new committee of which introduces themselves in this issue. Perhaps fair enough, then, for our formal theme this time to be CHANGE – MUUTOS.

K U V I A K A L L I O STA Kallio on käynyt läpi radikaaleja muutoksia lyhyessä ajassa. Kymmenessä vuodessa alueesta on kehittynyt yksi Helsingin trendikkäimmistä paikoista. Kallio houkuttelee kävijöitä niin ravintoloillaan, tapahtumillaan kuin kulttuurillaankin. Yksi asia edelleen vetää kaikkia puoleensa, kolmosen tuoppi. Helsinkiläisillä on kaikilla oma näkemyksensä Kalliosta, ja siitä, mitä se merkitsee. Eräänä alkukeväisenä iltana joukko ihmisiä istui kolmostuopin ääreen, ja kertoi omat tarinansa.

Me asut tiin aikoinaan Porvoon kadulla. Kerran mä näin ikku nasta, kun mies kusi sähkökaap piin. V iereisen koulun pihall a myytiin huumeita, mutta sitte n siihen tuli aidat ympärille.E i tämä mu utos välttämättä ollu t ihan pahasta, Kalliossa oli mon ta asiaa aika huonosti ennen.

Oikeesti mä vannon, Mäkikuplan smetanapizza, antakaa. On tääki pizzeria ihan hyvä. Täällä mä ymmärsin, että sä tarviit asioita. Se että, haluut vaikka elää ja syödä. Puhutaan vaikka kapitalismista. Mitä sä varastaisit jos voisit? Hirvenpään Kultapalmusta ennen remppaa. Sen

kirjaimen. A

A A

Täällä tapaa aina tuttuja. Koiria mä tapaisin kaikkien mieluiten. Mä liityin joku aika sitten Facebookissa ryhmään koiranäyttelyt. Se on tosi rajua kamaa. Siis ne on todella rajua porukkaa. Joo kissaryhmissä on sama, joku kysyi kumpi on oikea tapa, luovuttaa pentu 10 vai 12 viikkoisena. Siitä tuli kunnianloukkauksia. Musta on parasta keskustella koiraryhmistä Tenhossa. Mä oon keskustellu Kalliossa aavikkoketuista vuodesta 2013. Jotkut jutut säilyy, niinku aavikkoketut.

11 Tähän me tultiin silloin suoraan sieltä vujuilta. Molemmilla pitkät koltut päällä ja juhlakengät jalassa. Ne vujut oli muuten helvetin tylsät. Täällä oli jo pari tyyppiä ja sitten ihmisiä vaan alkoi tulla. Ainut hyvä asia oli, kun se professori kehui mun kenkiä. Ehdotin, että olisko se halunnut sovittaa niitä. Se oli varmaan varadekaani.

Mitähän kaikille spurguille on käyny, tai onko ne täällä enää? Ei ne denat oo täältä minnekkään kadonneet tän kasvojen kohotuksen myötä, on ne täällä jossain edelleen.

Kuvat VEERA NIVALAINEN Tu t k i m u s r y h m ä I I N A H O L O P A I N E N , V E E R A N I V A L A I N E N , E L S A M A R T T I N E N , S A R I M E U R M A N , M A R I A M Ö L S Ä , S O N J A - R I I T TA L A I N E , A N N I K A L E P I S T Ö

KYSY

VÄELTÄ

ASK

THE

PEOPLE

Tällä kertaa löysimme lukijoidemme kysymyksille vastaajat Kaisla-pubista, jossa sattumalta oli joukko antropologeja seminaarin jälkeisissä tunnelmissa.

Kuinka hukata kundi 10:ssä päivässä? Ai kokata? Pokata? No toimishan se kokkaaminenkin. 10:ssä päivässä? Minulla meni 10 vuotta. Antropologiassa asiat tehdään yleensä hitaampaan tahtiin. Antropologiassa on tapana esittää kysymyksiä ennemmin kuin vastauksia. Voi lähteä jonnekkin kauas kentälle.

Mitä akateemikot tekevät, kun eivät jaksa lukea?

Kirjoittaa perkeleesti ja julkaisee. Jos puhutaan laajemmin sanan englanninkielisen merkitystä mukaillen. “Kävelen ja luen ääneen”. Pelaan Pomodoroa, sillä saan itseni taas hypetettyä lukemiseen.

Jos saisit olla Donna Haraway päivän, mitä tekisit? Kehittäisin Call of Cthulu peliin hahmoja, Haraway ei salettiin ikinä ole tehnyt. Julkaisisin kirjan blockchainin eettisyydestä. Donna Haraway on aina julkaisemassa kirjoja uusista ilmiöistä. Missä uusi trendi, siellä Donna Harawayn uusi kirja.

Kysy Väeltä: vakimagazine@gmail.com

K u v i t u s R O N YA H I R S M A

Itseasiassa suomenkielessähän “akateemikko” on arvonimi eikä viittaa yleisesti tutkijoihin niin kuin englanninkielessä. Siispä voimme vaan spekuloida mitä “akateemikko” tekisi.

INTERVIEW

1414

Andrew Graan Text MÉLODIE SINK ARI Photos SAK ARI MESIMÄKI Andrew Graan is a University Lecturer in Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Helsinki. Geographically, his research focuses in Macedonia, with broader interests in linguistic and political anthropology, global governance and political communication. We sat down with Andy - as he is known among his students to find out more about his academic background, his journey to Finland as well as his signature sideburns. What drove you to study anthropology? Firstly, I would say that my mother was a big influence. She had a minor degree in anthropology, and when I was a child she took me and my sister to the Milwaukee Public Museum where she used to work at as a student. The museum was primarily ethnological, and although the ways in which the museum used to depict world culture were problematic—culture areas were dehistoricized and essentialized--as a child I simply thought it was an amazing and interestingly strange place to visit. It made we want to learn more about how people live in different times and places. Another factor that impacted me was when my family moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Dallas, Texas when I was six years old. The two places were so different from one another it almost felt like we had moved to a new country. I think having to figure out

a new place at a young age disposed me to a certain type of curiosity towards learning about different social and cultural practices. By the time I began college I was already interested in anthropology, and eventually found it to be the field that truly ignited my intellectual curiosity. What lead to your interest in Macedonia? I think one of the beauties of anthropology is that with the right set of anthropological tools and mindset anything can be interesting. There’s this commitment that even in places that other individuals may not care to direct their attention to, one can find social life at its most fascinating, beautiful, tragic, complicated and astounding. And for me due to a number of different influences along the way I came to develop research projects that are still ongoing in Macedonia. I now have friendships there that have been sustained for decades, which is why I have developed a real love for the place. What was the initial spark that took you there? I would say it goes back to when I was in my final year of high school. That year I was invited to be on my school’s academic decathlon team, a competition where teams of students compete against each other by answering questions on different categories.

That particular school year the theme was “Documents of Freedom”. The theme was thus quite ideological as it sought to celebrate “freedom” in a new era after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Nonetheless, in correspondence with this theme, it was decided that the social studies component would focus on Eastern Europe. I became fascinated by the region and started reading immense amounts of East European history. I think part of my interest must have also come from growing up in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas during the Cold War. In that environment there was always a very simplistic narrative about how the Russians are bad and the Americans are good. When I started reading more about the actual complexity of post-World War Two history, I suddenly learned new perspectives that complicated this narrative. Realising this most likely sparked my initial interest in the region. Then it was really through the influence of Victor Friedman, a professor and mentor of mine, who later helped steer me towards research in Macedonia in particular. Do you have any projects you are particularly proud of? I am quite happy with the article I wrote on the nation brand regime. It’s one crystallization of a current project of mine, which focuses on the politics of nation branding in Macedonia as a form of neoliberal governance.

The project examines how the Macedonian government’s efforts to advance a particular representation of Macedonia corresponded with a broader process of regulating the Macedonian public sphere. It is thus an argument on how statecraft and governance itself is changing under conditions of neoliberalism. Another article I am happy with is one I wrote on strategic publicity. It examines how American and European diplomats used mass mediated public commentary as a political tool within Macedonia. It’s an attempt to think about international intervention beyond the form of a mission or a project, as something that can emerge organically in a piecemeal fashion over and across moments of public commentary. I am proud of all of the articles that I have published, but I believe these two examples have been very neat and succinct crystallizations of something that I have been thinking about for a while. It feels especially satisfying when something you’ve been working on for a long time finally comes together in a way that makes sense. Thinking back to when you had began your studies, what is something valuable you’ve learned throughout the years? One key advice I would give to students is to follow what excites you. Being at University is a really remarkable period in your life.

Having the ability to freely encounter and explore a range of new ideas and productions is truly exceptional, so my goodness enjoy it! Be open to new things and if something you read or see ignites intellectual curiosity within you, follow that feeling and see where it takes you. Also, take notes. Take notes on what you read. Take notes in class. Take notes on your own thoughts and reactions. Not only are you creating a useful record that you can refer back to, for instance, in assignments or thesis projects, but note-taking itself is an intellectual practice. You are distilling thoughts and arguments, and generating them.

ous and common problem in the United States. Thus from my experience I feel like professors have to put in slightly more work to encourage their students to keep up with their studies in the US. It’s nice to now be in an environment where students come to class with a little more seriousness and maturity. I’ve been sincerely impressed with students at the University of Helsinki. The students I’ve been lucky to have in my classes are thoughtful, dedicated learners and do really high quality written work. Have you made any observations about Finns which have confused or amused you? I’m wary of making generalisations because when you get into this sort of folk culturology, it’s often dangerous territory. But I do feel like in general there is a sensibility of following rules and proceduralism, that I think in the United States we don’t share. There rules are best understood as guidelines. But that’s a generalisation. There’s plenty of exceptions so please put all caveats to this!

How did you find yourself in Finland and how do you like it here? My wife, who is Finnish, and I had both been living and working in Chicago in the United States, and for a long time we discussed how wonderful it would be to live in Finland. We thought it would be great for our children to have an opportunity to spend a period of their childhood in Finland and to be closer to I don’t think this is at their Finnish relatives The Nation Brand Regime: Nation all representative, but I here. That really motiwent to the Pasila police vated us to start lookBranding and the Semiotic Regimendepartment this morning for career opportunitation of Public Communication in Coning to renew my daughties here and fortunately temporary Macedonia. [2016] Signs ter’s passport. They have we were both able to find and Society 4 (S1): S70-S105. this sculpture inside, a meaningful professional sort of column that conactivities. I think we nects the ceiling to the were also both getting Strategic Publicity: On International ground. And on it it says, tired of living and the Intervention and the Performativity of in Finnish: “No one guides United States and felt Public Communication in Post Conflict us on the path of life ready for a change. This or death: alone you die was all before Donald Macedonia. [2016] HAU: The Journal of and alone you are born.“ Trump was elected presEthnographic Theory 6 (3): 277-303. [In Finnish: Ei meitä kuident. I now feel somekaan elon-kuolon-maailman thing similar to a “Surtiellä saattele: yksin on vivors guilt” for having kuoleminen ja syntyminen yksin.] left the United States a few weeks before the presidential election, especially since Wow. That’s pretty dark. I’ve really loved living in Helsinki. Yes! And I thought to myself, only in Finland! Do you notice any differences between teachBut I think it squares with some general ing in Finland and in the US? idea about this sense of individual autonoI think that there’s a different understandmy and fundamental notion of self. I had my ing of university in relationship to adopartner translate it for me and I thought, lescence. Finnish students are trained to wow, I could never imagine seeing this at a be independent by the time they finish High government building in the United States. school. Therefore it’s often expected that students in universities are self-organIs there anything you would want to study in ized, responsible and that they take their Finland as an anthropologist? studies seriously from the very beginning. In the United States on the other hand, The honest answer is that I haven’t really given it much thought yet. One thing in parcollege is often understood to be a period ticular is consumption in Finland and what of experimentation and a passageway to inseems to be the ubiquity of certain brands dependence. Many students living away from and branded goods. I find it fascinating that their parents for the first time experiment one can almost always find the same cups and with alcohol, drugs and sex and often in plates made by Iittala and Arabia in difvery abusive ways. This is especially noferent Finnish homes. I think it points to ticeable when it comes to sexual assault on different histories of capitalism and conuniversity campuses, which is a really seri-

sumerism. It would be quite interesting to look at the ways in which a certain type of industrial production and forms of consumption emerged in Finland.

We’re also quite curious to know more about your signature sideburns and the meaning behind your tattoo. I copied the sideburns from a classmate of mine when I was in my second year of college. I simply thought oh yeah I like those sideburns. This was in the year 1995 and they were a fashion trend at the time where I was living in Portland Oregon. I’ve been wearing sideburns like this since then. My tattoo is actually an old family symbol inspired by mythological tales about my family’s origin. My surname Graan originates from Sweden and comes from the Swedish word for Spruce. My grandfather and my uncle would always like to tell these fanciful tales about our family. Their stories, which were always told half-jokingly with a wink and smile, talked about how we were people of the spruce and that it was the spruce tree which connected the mortal earth to the heavens. In short they would say that our family is an axis mundi, that point around which the World turns! The tattoo then is less a fetish of the family than a tribute to my family members’ imagination. We have always appreciated a good story and good joke more than a fancy objects or designer goods. I might note, though, that the tattoo, on my wrist, is really small and boring looking. I imagine that among the teaching staff,

Thank you so much for taking the time for this interview. Finally, is there anything else you would like to tell the readers of Väki? I would want to thank all of the readers for being part of the community of anthropologists at the University. One thing that’s been very important to me is to not only find a job, but an intellectual home where there are people who share my interests and who I can truly talk to. I’ve really felt that I’ve found that place here at the University of Helsinki. Not just with my talented colleagues, but with the students here as well. It’s been really fantastic to be able to follow what kind of research projects students are pursuing and to be a part of their academic journey. I’m grateful to work in such an intellectually stimulating environment, which is why I want to thank everyone who is a part of it. Being here has really meant something to me.

“It feels especially satisfying when something you’ve been working on for a long time finally comes together in a way that makes sense.”

You’re known among your students as an excellent teacher. Can you tell us a little bit about your approach to teaching? I think something relevant that I learned pretty early on is the importance of bringing excitement into a classroom. One of my first teaching jobs was when I was still a graduate student and I was hired to teach anthropology courses at Columbia College in Chicago. I distinctly remember listening to a student there who said that most motivating factor for a student was seeing a teacher’s passion towards their subject. If a teacher is not passionate about what they’re teaching then it’s hard to expect students to get excited about it. I think I had already understood that before, but hearing this student articulate it so clearly was an epiphany of sorts. Whenever I design a course, I always try to choose readings that I personally feel are especially interesting. It often ends up being difficult things because I believe great ideas are often challenging ones. In order to understand them you might have to stretch your mind into directions that it is not used to be taken, which can be painful, but along the process I believe you gain something valuable.

students and researchers at the University there are many, many more elaborate and more interesting tattoos.

T H E

U T O P I A N

M A N I F E S T O

A C T I V A T I O N I S C H A N G E T R A N S F O R M A T I O N I S C H A N G E R E O R G A N I Z A T I O N I S C H A N G E H O P E I S C H A N G E M O V E M E N T I S C H A N G E C H A N G E I S A C T I V A T I O N C H A N G E I S A L L W E H A V E H A D

The concept of utopia that I am trying to formulate, define, re-formulate and re-define throughout this essay, was coined by Thomas More in his book Utopia (1516). The word, in Greek, derives from “no-place” or “good place”, depending on the interpretation of pronunciation. Later, in Principles of Hope, Ernst Bloch introduced the difference between what he calls the abstract and the concrete utopias. Abstract utopias are, for him, imaginative alternatives or fantasies of the better, however easily falling into naivety and the inability to connect to the history of the reality they are created in. Concrete utopias, on the other hand, represent the possibility for actual intervention and change. Bloch states, that they initiate a form of collective hope that creates movement, and provokes reorganization, according to what the currently existing processes, systems, and realities are lacking.

What is, then, the transformative potential of utopias? Flipping the proposed intellectual hierarchy between Blochs’ abstract and concrete utopias, a feminist scholar Angelika Bammer states: “the utopian is powerfully real in the sense that hope and desire (and even fantasies) are real, never “merely” fantasy. It is a force that moves and shapes history”

Bloch, Ernst. The Principle of hope. Blackwell, 1986 (1938). Dolan, Jill. Utopia in Performance: Finding Hope at the Theatre. The University of Michigan Press, 2005. Houston, Chloë. “Good Place is no place.” The Times Literary Supplement. November 22, 2017. https://www.thetls.co.uk/articles/public/utopia-dystopia-twenty-first-century/. Munoz, Jose Esteban. Cruising Utopia. New York University Press, 2009.

SONJA-RIITTA LAINE

Now, given the potential of concrete utopias generating change, and the fact that they are created in the constancy of worldmaking, the means for building them must be a configuration of what is already there in the present reality. Yet imagining utopias is proposing a configuration of what could be there. In other words, there is a gap between the present and the utopia. This gap between the activation of utopian imagination and the utopia seems infinite, mostly because of the unattainable character of the utopia itself.

It is an interesting moment in history to be studying land issues and urban development in Helsinki.Many of the land leases that the municipality gave out in the 1960s are soon expiring in the end of year 2020. It is by no coincidence that the city of Helsinki has also recently drawn up a new master plan in which it sets out its targets and goals to be reached by 2050. The master plan explicitly states that one of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary goals is to ensure â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;that the land use-related conditions for the economic agglomeration are in placeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (City Planning Department 2017: 29). Land and land use must hence be understood as part and parcel of an ectonomic strategy for growth. Yet what happens when this economic strategy for land use is in

W H AT TO D O

conflict with local community interests? How does the city resolve the seemingly disparate social and economic values of land? In this essay, which draws on media coverage on Puhos as well as my own ethnographic observations, I will assess a land re-development case in East Helsinki, in which the conflict between local social interests and economic interests is particularly pronounced. Puhos shopping mall: a case study The Puhos shopping mall is located ten kilometers from the city center, in the eastern subcenter of ItĂ¤keskus. It could be easy to miss the old shopping mall in the contemporary urban landscape, as it pales in comparison to the towering and more modern shopping center Itis across the road. As one enters Puhos it is immediately evident that most of the people there are from an immigrant background, many wearing garments such as the hijab, or the long white cotton khameez and the colorful embroidered cap called a koofiyad. This multiculturalism is what has become the most defining character-

istic of Puhos since the late 2000s, and consequently different far-right groups such as Suomi Ensin (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Finland firstâ&#x20AC;?) and Soldiers of Odin have staged demonstrations and intimidation tactics there (YLE 2018b). Other groups have become involved in Puhos in order to support the community; for example, the Puhos Loves People multicultural music festival took place in August 2018 for the second time. Puhos was built in 1965 during a time of rapid urbanisation, when the high-rise suburbs of East Helsinki were developed to accommodate the thousands of workers moving from the countryside to the city in search of work. Puhos was the largest shopping center in Finland at the time and business was booming. In the 1980s the metro line

WITH PUHOS? A multicultural shopping center under threat in East Helsinki Tex t and photos JUUDA TAMMINEN

was constructed, connecting East Helsinki to the city center, and a new massive shopping center was opened across the road from Puhos. By the 1990s Puhos had lost most of its business. The 1990s economic crisis also caused what is often called the “pubification” (kapakoituminen) of old shopping malls in Helsinki, as many workers became permanently unemployed and the pubs became an alternative place to spend time at and socialize during the day. In the 2000s business started to flourish again. This was primarily due to immigrant entrepreneurs buying shares and setting up shop in Puhos, and attracting customers that shared the same cultural background. More and more pubs closed down and were sold to restaurateurs, and eventually Puhos became a hub for ethnic stores and restaurants, halal meat shops, travel companies, and fashion shops. It also houses one of the busiest mosques in all of Helsinki. Five times a day Puhos fills with Muslims going to prayer, who afterwards often stay at one of the many cafes and restaurants to socialize. As a result a tightly knit community has taken root in Puhos, and the old shopping mall has become an important meeting place for people of various ethnic backgrounds, especially within the larger Muslim community of East Helsinki. Today Puhos is facing a potential demolition, as the land lease from the city ends in 2020. The buildings have aged very poorly as none of the 30 shareholders have wanted to invest too much money into upkeep, knowing that when the land lease ends they might lose their contract. Already in the early 2000s the shop owners in Puhos were complaining about the poor state of plumbing. The city of Helsinki wants to build new housing on the land, in accordance to the latest master plan’s overall strategy to increase supplementary housing construction (täydennysrakentaminen), especially around important public transportation network junctions (CPD 2013, CPD 2017). Itäkeskus, where Puhos is located, is also a so-called mixed use land area, with a high concentration of not only housing but of business and work places. The location is excellent, with good existing transit connections and a high volume of daily visitors. It is therefore economically valuable land, and in a strategic location for many of the city’s primary plans, such as the Jokeri rail line which will pass directly between Puhos and Itis (CPD 2013: 74). Puhos is also located at the junction of the Ring I road and the primary eastern highway (Itäväylä), and the city plans to increase densification of the urban form around the highways, as part of their strategy of economic agglomeration and ecological sustainability (CPD 2013: 70, CPD 2017). A detailed plan of the land is yet to be made, and different real estate de-

Five times a day Puhos fills with Muslims going to prayer, who afterwards often stay at one of the many cafes and restaurants to socialize. velopers, shareholders and interest groups are trying to influence the municipal land use plans for the area. The city has made it known that at least part of the land will be reserved for high-rise housing, and the city does not want to renew a rental agreement with the current land use model (HS 2016). The small shareholders of Puhos who represent the local community and own 25% of the shares, are trying to preserve the old part of the shopping mall. They argue that Puhos has irreplaceable social value for the immigrant communities of East Helsinki, and that it could be developed and marketed after the renovation as a multicultural shopping and service center (HS 2016). The municipality has stated that they cannot take charge of Puhos, as they do not have the resources to business manage the shopping mall (Yle Areena Spotlight 2017). The majority shareholders, 75% of the shares, owned by Ilmarinen, HOK-Elanto, Kesko, and the Nordic real estate company Blackwell (shares formerly owned by Sponda, a Finnish company which Blackwell bought in 2017) have voiced their desire to sell Puhos to any company that is willing to demolish the shopping mall and develop housing on the land (HS 2016). Especially the three largest Finnish owners have said they have no business interest anymore in old shopping malls such as Puhos (YLE 2018). Blackwell merely aims for the maximum profit for their investment, and selling the land for housing development is suitable for achieving this end. The municipality has demanded that if Puhos should be preserved, a plan has to be put into place to renovate the buildings. Normally this would not be a problem because there is typically only one or two owners for any given shopping mall. In the case of Puhos there are 30 shareholders, and as they are not able to reach an agreement, no such plan could be produced.

The fear is that if the shareholders cannot find a solution for Puhos, when the land lease ends in 2020 the shareholders have to finance the demolition of Puhos themselves and return the land as an empty plot to the municipality (HS 2018a, YLE 2018). This would cost the owners approximately two-million euros, and according to municipal civil servants, none of the shareholders can afford this latter option (ibid).

In the spring of 2018 NREP, a Nordic real estate developer, proposed a plan which the majority shareholders of Puhos supported. According to their plan the current shareholders would sell their shares to NREP. NREP would then demolish the new part of Puhos and build highrise apartment blocks on the land. This would include thirty-thousand square meters of apartment housing (HS 2018b). With the money gained from selling the apartments, NREP would agree to renovate the old part of Puhos and rent the business premises back to the immigrant entrepreneurs at a lower than market price (HS 2018a). The majority shareholders agreed with the plan, and so NREP left a proposal to the municipality. In August 2018 the municipality voted and decided to grant NREP a planning reservation (suunnitteluvaraus), which gives the real estate developer the official rights to draw up a physical plan

for the land (YLE 2018). The planning reservation did not grant NREP the rights to begin demolition because a series of conditions and terms set by the municipality had to be met before a due process of detailed planning could be put into motion by the municipality. For example, the municipali-

ty demands that the small shareholders must be taken into account in the future plans. Despite these conditions, the small shareholders resisted the NREPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plans, as the compensation money for their shares was felt

to be wholly unsatisfactory and because of fears that as tenants they would no longer have any control over the development of Puhos (HS 2018a). In mid-November 2018, NREP withdrew their offer amidst growing resistance from the small shareholders (HS 2018c). At the moment of writing there is no other plans proposed for Puhos, and there is uncertainty about what will happen next. This conflict of interests between the small shareholders and the majority shareholders is fairly straightforward, but the solution to the problem is not. On the one hand you have the community of shopkeepers, employees, community organizers and patrons, that have created a space that has social and cultural value that is impossible to measure in economic terms. They are the primary users of land, but at the same time they have the least amount of political and economic power to maintain control of that land and pursue their vision independent of financiers. On the other hand you have the majority shareholders that have economic interests at stake in Puhos, but have no interest in the future of the land area after 2020. They are an easy partner for the municipality because everything can be negotiated and resolved in numbers. The city and these property investors have a common goal, in fact, as they both benefit from outside investment and economic growth. Hence why NREP’s involvement was ideal for both parties. In this way political power and economic power make great partners in land use planning. While it could be easy to argue for the forced appropriation of the shareholdings for practical reasons – and this is actually a potential outcome – the municipality has social responsibility to the Puhos community. What this means is that the municipality is committed to inclusive and democratic decision-making that is responsive to resident wishes and needs. It is one of the stated goals of the city planning department, and local resident involvement in the planning process has become usual practice in recent years. The fate of Puhos is particularly tricky because a majority of the users are from immigrant backgrounds, and Puhos has become a self-integrating community, where new immigrants and refugees are able to find employment, guidance and a supportive community. There are for example third sector organizations in Puhos where immigrant children are helped to integrate into the Finnish education system, and the local immigrant entrepreneurs assist each other navigate through the complex Finnish bureaucracy (HS 2016). It is in the city’s best interest to support the integration of refugees and immigrants into Finnish society, and a self-organizing and self-sustaining community such as Puhos is ideal for this purpose. If Puhos would be taken away

At the moment of writing there is no other plans proposed for Puhos, and there is uncertainty about what will happen next. from the community, all of this would be lost and many people would become unemployed and dependent on the Finnish social services. It would be a very awkward public relations issue for the municipality, and would set a precedent for future land use conflicts of similar nature. Conclusion It is difficult to form a practical solution for the municipality in the case of Puhos, but they need to consider very carefully in which land use cases they prioritize economic interests and in which cases to support local social interests instead. Although the city must grow and provide land for both new business ventures as well as housing, socially and culturally valuable spaces such as Puhos are hard to recreate, and once destroyed it is unlikely that something similar will ever spring up. The value of a land for its local users is thus tied to much more than its monetary value and the city must remain aware of this if it is to grow in a socially sustainable way. Furthermore, it is evident that the loss of community which a demolition would result in would have indirect economic consequences as well, as many people would lose employment and a whole community would lose an important social and economic space for integration into Finnish society. Although the municipality has clearly stated they do not want to take responsibility of the business management of Puhos, it could be a viable option that the city would buy Puhos and give management of the company over to the community. Something similar was done in Kulttuurikeskus Korjaamo. The problem is that the renovation of Puhos is too expensive for the city to undertake without private investment. It therefore remains to be seen what the fate of Puhos will be, and whether the community will be able to secure a place in the city’s plans for economic growth and sustainability.

Juuda Tamminen is a master’s student of Urban Studies and Planning with a special interest in urban and visual anthropology. Juuda holds a bachelor’s degree in social anthropology from the University of Kent. You can follow him on instagram @easthelsinkivisuals.

CPD, City Planning Department (2017) Helsinki City Plan: Helsinki is growing sustainably. City Planning Department: Helsinki.

CPD, City Planning Department (2013) Helsinki City Plan Vision 2050. City Planning Department: Helsinki. HS, Helsingin Sanomat (2016) Suuromistajat haluavat jyrätä maahanmuuttajien ostospaikan Itäkeskuksessa – ”Purkaminen ajaisi somalit seisoskelemaan asemalle”. Published 30.11.2016 [https://www.hs.fi/ kaupunki/art-2000004887094.html] HS, Helsingin Sanomat (2018a) Rahakas sijoittaja haluaisi purkaa rapistuvaa ostoskeskusta Itäkeskuksessa ja rakentaa päälle kerrostaloja – ”Emme voi hyväksyä”, sanovat pienosakkaat. Published 4.6.2018 [https://www.hs.fi/kaupunki/art2000005705284.html] HS, Helsingin Sanomat (2018b) Helsinki antoi suunnitteluvarauksen pohjoismaiselle kiinteistökehittäjälle Puhoksen ostoskeskuksesta – NREP kaavailee osittaista purkua ja asuntorakentamista. Published 14.8.2018 [https:// www.hs.fi/kaupunki/art-2000005791201.html] HS, Helsingin Sanomat (2018c) Ostoskeskus Puhos jatkaa rapistumistaan, remonttisuunnitelma kaatui – Pienosakkaiden vastarinta karkotti rahakkaan kiinteistösijoittajan. Published 13.11.2018 [https://www.hs.fi/kaupunki/ art-2000005898289.html] YLE Areena Spotlight (2017) Dokumentti: ”Mikä ihmeen Puhos?”. 22.10.2017 [https://areena.yle.fi/1-3797246] YLE (2018a) Itä-Helsingissä rapistuva Puhoksen ostoskeskus saa uuden kehittäjän – Poliitikot äänestivät pohjoismaisen suuryhtiön puolesta. 14.8.2018 [https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-10352597] YLE (2018b) Soldiers of Odin partioi ostoskeskuksessa Itä-Helsingissä – valtuutetun mukaan tunnelma muuttui heti: ”Ihmiset eivät halunneet tulla ulos”. 28.11.2018 [https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-10530280]

Although the city and provide land fo business ventures housing, socially turally valuable s as Puhos are hard ate, and once destr unlikely that some ilar will ever spri

must grow or both new as well as and culspaces such to recreroyed it is ething siming up.

A r t R O N YA H I R S M A & J U L I A L E P PÄ N E N

I’m at Slush as the interpreter for some visiting journalists whom I knew from my short life as a PR hack. In between bouts of interpreting interviews about making protein from sunlight and drinking straws from wood pulp, I have some time to wander through the mood lighting and neon. Past the food court, I head towards a brightly lit white room visible through an archway entrance.

Te x t S A K A R I M E S I M Ä K I

I n w h i c h I m e e t a v e r y n i c e g u y c a l l e d Pe k k a a n d a l s o r e a d a v e r y a v e r a g e b o o k

Bring your whole self to work or else

In the drizzling darkness of late November, the entrance to Helsinki’s biggest exhibition centre, Messukeskus, is a portal to another dimension. Red lighting installations, smoke machines, and a pulsating bass have transformed a row of glass doors and unassuming foyer into a throbbing maw hungering for venture capital and profitable innovations. It’s Slush 2018 – the world’s biggest, coolest, trendiest start-up conference.

“Welcome to Oasis!” a row of beaming volunteer staff greet me. I take in the room, wide-eyed and somewhat bewildered. Centred around a pleasantly bubbling water fountain, the floor is covered with oriental rugs, large cushions and artificial lawn. Companies from the Startup Refugees network are providing massages and Arabic tea and coffee, while a sound healer and yoga instructor are attending to frazzled-out innovators. Mindfulness vibes. A sign encourages me to put away my devices and turn around the badge which identifies my status at Slush, but I find myself rather too excited by my new “PRESS” identity to let it go. While marvelling at the perfect orientalist dichotomy between business and tech innovation, and this Oasis of timeless eastern spirituality, I am approached by another volunteer. “Hey! How’s it going? Welcome to Oasis! How has your Slush been?” Pekka Freese shakes my hand and introduces himself, absolutely glowing with warmth and friendliness. Instinctively, I react like many Finns might to unsolicited amicability – with suspicion – stumbling awkwardly through a pleasant conversation during which Pekka never ceases to exude niceness. Extracting myself from the conversation and the Oasis, I collect myself in Slush’s now familiar dark neon glow. Suspicion is replaced by embarrassment at my failure to engage a friendly stranger in a perfectly nice bit of conversation. But I also feel like I’ve discovered the most interesting place at Slush. I decide to go back for a real conversation with Pekka and learn a bit more about the Oasis. I return to the Oasis to find Pekka wrapping up another friendly exchange with some passers-through. Graciously consenting to my

request for a short interview, Pekka makes a quick call to the PR boss before we take off our shoes and make ourselves comfortable on some oriental rugs by the water fountain. (The interview was conducted in Finnish. Translation is mine.) “I’m interested in the circumstances of peak performance and wellbeing: how we could create a holistic organizational culture, a culture which would support people in doing the things that are important to them, at a really high level, while also being well at the same time, in a way that their life is still at the centre of what they are doing.” Pekka is no cereal box mindfulness guru. He’s completing his master’s degree in psychology at Helsinki University and has practiced meditation for three and a half years. Involved in the Oasis project from its beginning, he was now a team leader for the volunteers. “One central thing for me with Oasis has been to provide an example of how, even in the very hectic startup world, it’s worthwhile to take smart breaks when you can just step back for a moment. Step back from your phone, step back from all the bustle, do something physical, meditate, and so forth.”

“A lot of the time in working life, we don’t stop to see other people as people. So one of the things we encourage people to do in our Oasis etiquette, is to switch off our devices for a moment and turn our badges around and meet people we don’t know as just people. Instead of immediately thinking ‘You’re an investor and I want your money’ you can also connect as people, which is much more meaningful.” Listening to my recording of the interview, I’m taken back to my own corporate life and something said by a colleague about how in an ideal company culture you should be able to bring your whole self to work. The phrase echoes in my head as if somehow familiar, and indeed, I find that it is not a chance choice of words, but in fact the title of a 2018 book by Mike Robbins. Mike, according to his website, is an “expert in teamwork, leadership, and emotional intelligence” who “delivers keynotes and seminars around the world that empower people, leaders, and teams to engage in their work, collaborate, and perform at their best.” I was intrigued. What does it mean to bring your whole self to work? I found myself a copy of Mike’s book and set off to find out. ***

Mike begins with the uncontroversial point that disengaged employees and opaque corporate cultures often lead to sub-optimal work performance and are thus bad for business. His central argument is that the solution is to bring our full, authentic selves to work. “One of the most important aspects of being engaged, fulfilled, and successful in our work is the ability to be ourselves,” he writes. Foundational to bringing our whole self to work is being authentic. As such, Mike’s discussion relies on the Western cultural conception of the essential “true self,” which we are supposed to find somewhere beyond the layers of roles and identities we perform every day. It also leans on the popular notion that our work selves are further from the real or true selves that we perform in our private, personal lives outside work. What the performance of authenticity means in practice for Mike, then, is sharing more of one’s personal self in the work context, which he describes with the metaphor of “lowering the waterline” on our iceberg selves. When we do this, we gain personal credibility, which Mike contrasts with the professional credibility represented by our work identities, titles and resumés. This idea of personal credibility, which in Mike’s description appears as a combination of authenticity and generally being a nice person, might also work to indicate a new aspect of human capital, one predicated on the successful performance of authenticity. However, while being authentic seems relatively straightforward and self-explanatory for Mike, at least in the sense that any sincere person can do it, it seems to me that performing his vision of authenticity convincingly may be surprisingly complicated. The following extract, in which Mike is describing how he explains one of his group exercises to workshop participants, reveals

As we chat, I also learn what that whole badge thing was about.

“Instead of immediately thinking ‘You’re an investor and I want your money’ you can also connect as people, which is much more meaningful.”

how challenging it might be. “I say, ‘When it’s your turn, you’ll have about two minutes to talk. You’ll just repeat this phrase: “If you really knew me, you’d know . . .” And then you’ll share whatever you’re willing to share.’Then I let them know, ‘You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to say.’”

“At this point, I often joke, ‘This is not like “shock-the-group time”,’ at which people usually laugh—both because it’s funny and because some people are feeling nervous and uncomfortable hearing what they’re being asked to do. Then I usually say, ‘This is an opportunity for you to be authentic in a vulnerable way with your colleagues. Again, it’s totally your choice about what you choose to share, although I do encourage and challenge you to step out of your comfort zone. In order for this exercise to be as safe as possible, it’s important that we not talk when someone else is talking, and that we agree to confidentiality. That means that when people are talking we don’t make comments, give feedback, ask questions, or make any jokes. It also means that whatever people share, we keep it to ourselves.’ Then I ask, ‘Can we all agree to these things?’” Participants here need to navigate contradictory requirements to both make themselves vulnerable and get out of their comfort zone, but also not go so far as to “shock the group”. The encouragement towards confidentiality also recognises that lowering one’s waterline may make people vulnerable to negative consequences in a real sense. Successfully performing authenticity and profiting in the capital of personal credibility requires you to share something interpretable as personal and sincere in a way that is interpretable as making you vulnerable. Simultaneously you must steer clear of anything that might be found shocking or otherwise expose you to negative sanction from your peers – such as sharing controversial political views, one might imagine. From what I read of Mike’s book (and I admit that I did not read it all), it appears that what he has in mind for this kind of sharing is emotionally heavy personal experiences like the passing away of a close relation, rather than your views on religion or the tingle in your loins that you get from Jamie in accounting. What the requirement to bring your whole self to work does is press-gang employees into performing additional emotional labour to sustain happy narratives about company cultures. Obviously, companies will be interested to provide an articulation of what such narratives and cultures look like, and thereby indicate (though proba-

bly not explicitly) the acceptable limits and standards according to which performance of “authenticity” is evaluated and personal credibility awarded. How well you embody fuzzy corporate values is already a factor in performance reviews, to which Mike’s work only brings new euphemisms. “Sorry Jamie, but we feel that you just aren’t bringing your whole self to work.” Though Mike makes the occasional nod to things like “organizational culture”, his discussion is relatively muted on institutional structures of working and the impact they might have on employee engagement and happiness. The solution to disengaged employees is not sought in things like comfortable working conditions, good pay, autonomy, and work that is meaningful, but in projects of individual self-improvement about becoming a more open and kind individual. In part I suspect this is simply reflective of Mike’s research, which consists of discussions with senior executives, “interesting business and thought leaders”, whose authority and wisdom appears to emanate from the nobility-like slew of titles they are introduced with: “Chip Conley, founder and former CEO of Joie de Vivre Hospitality and current Strategic Advisor for Hospitality and Leadership for Airbnb” and “Melissa Daimler, Senior Vice President of Talent at WeWork and former Head of Learning at Twitter.” Ironically, it appears that professional, rather than personal credibility is after all what makes you qualified to talk about being authentic and bringing your whole self to work. Given their positions at the top of the pyramid, such individuals will likely already have attained the material and intellectual prerequisites of a satisfying work life. They will be in a position to define what being authentic means in their corporate cultures and not have to worry about figuring out someone else’s articulation. And by limiting the focus of improving working life

Ironically, it appears that professional, rather than personal credibility is after all what makes you qualified to talk about being authentic and bringing your whole self to work.

*** My critique of Mike’s ideas fits alongside those of corporate wellbeing ideologies, such as made by Carl Cederström and André Spicer (2015) in their book The Wellness Syndrome, or Ronald Purser and Edwin Ng’s (2015) very angry article in Salon, “Corporate mindfulness is bullsh*t”. Similarly to how they see such wellbeing ideologies as neoliberal ploys to make individuals alone morally responsible for maintaining performance at work through healthy lifestyles and attendance of mindfulness seminars, Bring your whole self to work puts pressure on individual employees to perform “authentic” and “engaged” selves as part of achieving credibility as professionals. Familiar with some of these critiques at the time of the interview, I put them to Pekka, who may show us the way out of my pit of anti-corporate cynicism. I’ve thrown my shade at neoliberalism like any good anthropologist – time now for a positive take? “Well, I have two perspectives on that. On

the one hand, even if it is so that increased performance is the only goal, we are still doing something valuable in addition to that, and when we see that, we will also increasingly find the human values. On the other hand, I hope that we can bring to working life and the way in which we approach the responsibility that organizations have, more of a focus on the people who are working. I hope that, with the world constantly changing, that the value of people would be at the centre, alongside work.” Pekka makes the very reasonable point that, even if such corporate cultures are ultimately driven by a calculated goal of improving performance, we probably shouldn’t be upset if along the way we can improve aspects of our wellbeing! Mindfulness practices don’t have to be all trendy nonsense, but can contribute to our wellbeing alongside improvements to the structural and material conditions of working life. I know that personally, mindfulness meditation did help me manage the stresses of work in a very real way, but I also know that I had much less stress to manage when I wasn’t working late at the office. We should also not overlook the fact that, whatever corporate ideologies we may read from its details, the Oasis was a very material intervention, one that was made, I was told, in response to specific requests for a calmer space amidst the intensity of Slush

to Mike’s milquetoast call to share more of your personal anxieties and to not be a self-righteous douchebag, they can shift responsibility down to individual employees while decorating their own professional narratives with the appearance of earnest humanness and relatability.

as a whole. And certainly, it seemed mostly successful in what it aimed to do. As Pekka reflected on how the space had worked out:

“It feels like people have really made this space their own. When you look around, it is really the best feedback to see that somehow there is a different atmosphere here. People are sitting down, relaxing, smiling and having pleasant conversations.” But what of Mike’s bring your whole self to work ideology, which I discovered as a consequence of my conversation with Pekka? Can we manage a more generous reading? Probably not – at least as far as Mike’s prescription for addressing employee disengagement through his conception of authenticity goes. But I think we can at least appreciate some of the basic sentiments that appear to motivate him: be kind, be honest, don’t be self-righteous. One sometimes encounters the idea that real business is cold, calculating and ruthless, which seems to lead some ambitious professionals to think that by being cold, calculating and ruthless in how they conduct themselves, they are doing real business. Mike’s book is not entirely unwelcome in going against such views, and the fifteen adulating testimonials from business executives suggest that in some circles his might indeed be an original perspective. And as fluffy and insubstantial as I find Mike’s book, I doubt my grumpy screed would be received well with his audience. There are many ways to make work life better, employees more engaged, and, consequently, businesses more successful. The approach one takes and what one emphasises probably has a fair bit to do with the degree of sympathy or cynicism through which one views corporate culture. Anthropological training certainly predisposes one to cynicism – I have yet to encounter many positive takes on corporations and capitalism in the literature! From this perspective, any discussion of wellbeing needs to consider not just individuals and the attitudes they take to work, but the ideologies and power structures that create the conditions of work and shape the discourses about how these conditions can be improved. Readers of Mike’s book should at the very least be asking why the voices of business executives and leaders are so uniquely prominent in his work. And yet, after all this, I was refreshed by Pekka’s enthusiasm and his worldview – so different from my own – which sees potential rather than danger in corporations and their cultures. Potential for people to do exciting things they find meaningful and fulfilling. The fact that I ended up reading Mike’s book – which Pekka tells me he has not read – at the expense of others in the

genre, probably led to my relatively lukewarm treatment of perspectives that inspire enthusiasm and positivity in many others. So - I’ve resolved to give it another chance by reading something Pekka actually recommends: Randical Candor by Kim Scott (2017). Let’s see where this one takes me. References Cederström, Carl and André Spicer. 2015. The Wellness Syndrome. Cambridge: Polity Press. Purser, Ronald and Edwin Ng. 2015. “Corporate mindfulness is bullsh*t: Zen or no Zen, you’re working harder and being paid less.” Salon, September 27, 2015. https:// www.salon.com/2015/09/27/corporate_mindfulness_is_bullsht_zen_or_no_zen_youre_working_harder_and_being_paid_less/ Robbins, Mike. 2018. Bring Your Whole Self to Work. London: Hay House. Scott, Kim. 2017. Radical Candor. New York: St Martin’s Press.

VA L L A N K U M O US Teksti ja kuvitus JANNE VASAR AINEN

Virittynyt tunnelma velloo Helsingin yllä. Kansa on ulostautunut kaduille lentokirjasten saattelemana. “Senaatintori, klo 21”. Ihmiset kuiskuttelevat toisilleen jännittyneinä. Vihdoin. Portaiden yläpäähän astelee uljaasti kaksi hahmoa ilta-auringon valaistessa heidät tulenpunaisiksi. Minä, 80-luvun hiihtohaalarissa bensaan kastettu Kannunvalajien lippu kädessäni, sekä David Graeber - aina yhtä tyylikkäänä mustassa pitkähihaisessaan. David, tuttavallisemmin Grebbe, kaivaa Zippo-sytyttimen taskustaan ja raapaisee sen palamaan. Katsomme toisiamme silmiin, virnistämme ja hän viskaa sytyttimen kohti lippua. Sorron symboli leimahtaa tuleen samaan aikaan kun tuhatpäisen yleisön sisällään pidättämä hengitys purkautuu aukiota järisyttävänä riemunhuutona. Vallankumous. Se on alkanut. “Anarchism is about acting as if you are already free”

My homeboy, David Graeber

M A N A N H A L L I T U S E S I T TÄY T Y Y Pyysimme Manan uutta hallitusta esittäytymään kertomalla meille minne he tekisivät etnografisen häämatkan, kenen tunnetun antropologin kanssa ryhtyisivät vallankumoukseen, tai miten he ovat soveltaneet antropologiaa yksityiselämässä. Hallituslaisille voi pistää fanipostia sähköpostiin manahallitus@gmail.com!

Miia Martikainen, Puheenjohtaja Jos minun täytyisi valita vallankumouspartnerikseni joku antropologi, se olisi varmaankin Ruth Benedict. Benedictin arvot ja tavoitteet akateemisesti olivat jo 1900-luvun alussa sellaisia, jotka koen tärkeiksi itselleni tänäkin päivänä: toteuttamani vallankumous koskisi todennäköisesti yhdenvertaisuuden saavuttamista sen kaikissa muodoissa. Benedict teki mielestäni äärimmäisen mielenkiintoista tutkimusta, mutta ihailen häntä myös henkilökohtaisella tasolla; perustavanlaatuinen päättäväisyys, intohimo ja ahkeruus vievät pitkälle unelmien saavuttamisessa. Itseäni kiinnostavat teemat tasa-arvosta ja yhdenvertaisuudesta.

Rasmus Tillander, Tiedottaja Mihin tekisit etnograafisen häämatkasi? Kysymys on hauska kun olen kesällä menossa naimisiin ja lähdössä myöhemmin häämatkalle vastausmaahan, joka on Japani. Etnografisessa mielessä siellä kiinnostelisi erityisesti modernin yhteiskunnan ja Japanin ainutlaatuisen uskonnollisen skenen suhde. Tässä kiinnostuksessa ehkä näkyy myös meitsin tausta teologina ennen antropologian opintoja.

Ruben Viljanen, Taloudenhoitaja Miten olet soveltanut antropologiaa yksityiselämässäsi? Antropologia on tarjonnut minulle monia mahdollisuuksia nähdä elämää eri kantilta. Tehtyäni esimerkiksi osallistuvan havainnoinnin ryhmätyön merkeissä karaokebaarissa, en ole pystynyt näkemään karaokea enää uudelleen samoin silmin. Biisivalintoja analysoidessa tulee mietittyä erilaisia merkityksiä valintojen takana ja välillä tulee vedettyä kappaleita ihan kokeilumielellä. Joskus suuremmalla ja joskus pienemmällä menestyksellä. Vaikka en mieti asioiden merkityksiä päivät pitkät, on välillä myös pysähtyä tarkastelemaan asioita uusin silmin.

Sade Lepola, Tila- ja urheiluvastaava Tekisin häämatkani Jamaikalle, rentouttava, mutta myös toiminnallinen häämatka olisi ideaali. Häämatkalla voitaisiin kokea kaupunkien tunnelmaa musiikki- ja ruokakulttuurin parissa. Kuitenkin myös Jamaikan luonnon monipuolisuuteen olisi mahtavaa tutustua esimerkiksi roadtrip-tyylisen matkailun kautta. Minua kiehtoo Väli-Amerikka kokonaisuutena ja sen kulttuurien monipuolisuus, sekä ihmisten suhde luontoon. Haluaisinkin, että häämatkani ei olisi vain hotellin rannalla makoilua, vaan romanttisen matkan ja toiseen kulttuuriin tutustumisen sopiva yhdistelmä. Ai niin, kannattaa kuunnella Is This Love- Bob Marley.

Mari Kolkki, Suhde -ja virkistysvastaava Lähtisin etnografiselle häämatkalleni ehdottomasti jollekin pienelle lämpimälle saarelle, joka ei olisi vielä pilattu turismilla. En osaa tarkkaa kohdetta nimetä, kun tuntuu että nykyään vähän kaikkialle nousee hotelleja todella nopeasti. Tai sitten Papua-Uusi -Guineaan seikkailemaan, mutta ainakaan vielä en ehkä uskaltaisi vaikka houkuttelisikin (onneksi etnografinen häämatka ei myöskään kuulosta kovin ajankohtaiselta)

Mélodie Sinkari, Opintovastaava Tekisin etnografisen häämatkani luultavasti Fidžille.Tykkään Manasta, musiikista ja kilpikonnista ja Fidžistä löytyy Mana-niminen saari, viisi eri kilpikonnalajia ja musiikkia rakastavaa väestöä. Etnografinen matka lämpimässä ja trooppisessa ilmastossa tuntuu ihanteelliselta etenkin nyt kun Helsinki on täynnä märkää loskaa. Lisäksi Fidžissä auringonlaskut ovat (ainakin googlen kuvahaun perusteella) upean näköisiä, minkä vuoksi uskon, että siellä olisi hyvin romanttista olla!

Siiri Sandberg, Ympäristövastaava Häämatkalle en todennäköisesti koskaan lähde, sillä mielestäni avioliittoinstituutio on vähän last season, sillä onhan niitä muitakin tapoja muodostaa suhteita! Valitettavasti Suomen valtion käsitykset näistä laahaavat jossain 1800-luvulla. Mutta kyllä mä mielelläni matkalle lähtisin! Tällä hetkellä haaveissa olis lähteä Vienanmerelle bongaamaan valaita, keinuttamaan lanteita afrobeatsin tahtiin Gambiaan josta pääsisi kätsysti myös Senegaliin. Luonnollisesti tästä matka kulkisi jouhevasti läpi 8 länsiafrikkalaisen maan kohti ultimaattista, top ykkösenä kärkkyvää kohdettani: Nigerian kaoottista miljoonakaupunki Lagosia. Ehkä vielä jonain päivänä! Näin ajattelen myös patikkaretkestä vuoristoisessa Afganistanissa.

Entäs Janne Vasarainen, Työelämävastaava? Tutustu Jannen haaveisiin sivulla 33.

Iisa Arvelin, Varapuheenjohtaja ja yhdenvertaisuusvastaava Etnografinen häämatka ehdottomasti Italiaan! Matkaisin maan halki trenitalian kyydissä italialaisen indien soidessa kuulokkeista. Koluaisin Venetsian kunnolla läpi ennen kuin se uppoaa, kiipeäisin Vesuviuksen huipulle ennen kuin se posahtaa, kiertäisin rannikon pikkukyliä ennen kuin ne hautautuu maanvyörymien alle – ja siinä samalla havainnoisin italialaisen ruoan vaikutuksia vaatekokooni osallistumalla illanviettoihin ja sukujuhliin. Ainahan sitä voi pyrähtää muodin sykkeessä Milanossa, jos tarve vaatii. Pääpainona kuitenkin olisi italialaisen kulttuurin muutoksien tutkiminen valtiosuhteen, perheen merkityksen ja lapsettomuuden kautta. Ai niin, kyseessä tosiaan etnografinen määmatka (copyright Henriikka Rönkkönen) - ja mitä pikimmin sen parempi! Matkaseura kuitenkin aina kelpaa, jos Aperol Spritzit ja pasta-annokset alko houkuttaa!

10.-13.4.2019 cultureels.com