Mobile Futures researchers at ETMU conference 

Outi Kähäri, Mika Raunio, Elina Turjanmaa, and Sari Vanhanen (WP3) coordinated the workshop “Towards an equal work life: Fostering trust in the labor market” at the annual ETMU conference in Jyväskylä in 29th of November 2023. Four presentations and lively discussion with the workshop participants touched upon a wide range of issues such as migrants’ professional networks and experiences of job search, equality in professional sporting life and sport policy, and exploitation in the greenhouse business. The themes of trust, distrust, and discriminatory practices were discussed, for example, concerning exploitative job recruitment practices, practices of professional sport, and wearing a hijab when seeking a job.  

Linda Bäckman and Magdalena Kosová (WP3) presented a proposed paper in which they highlighted the possible pitfalls of the concept of trust in immigrant integration. Drawing on data collected through interviews with members of the Vietnamese greenhouse-workers’ community in Närpes, they explore the permeability (or the lack thereof) of specific and general forms of trust conditioned by the concept of cognitive authority. While generalized trust is often regarded as a key aspect facilitating integration of immigrants, specific contexts where trust is directed towards specific groups of people or organizations may lead to creation of social structures drawing immigrants apart from the mainstream society, spread of misinformation and labour exploitation.

Joa Hiitola, Iida Kauhanen and Fairuz Muthana (WP5) presented a paper about how precarious academic work that requires fast, measurable outcomes, influences the ways in which research is conducted. Instead of a traditional academic presentation, they recited poems they had written about their research. The three researchers have all worked with forced migrants. Doing research with people, who have experienced such precarious life situations as forced migrants often have, requires special ethical considerations, such as having enough time to listen to the participants and to be able to write about their lives ethically. Short term contracts and the pressure to publish fast in high ranked journals do not support this.