WIFORCE Seminar: The role of emotions in forest-related issues

Welcome to a seminar with Kaisa Vainio from the University of Turku, visiting researcher at the Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies at Umeå University.

Kaisa will speak on the topic: “Relationality, emotions, motivations and environmental values”

Kaisa Vainio is a cultural anthropologist and researcher of human–forest relations, specializing in interdisciplinary environmental studies, qualitative methods, research interviews, and sensory ethnography. Her research interests include nature-related values and emotions, the relationships of northern peoples, Arctic issues, and human–environment coexistence.

Context within WIFORCE

WIFORCE Seminars is an internal seminar series aimed at building a shared understanding of the research carried out within the programme and strengthening dialogue between different research areas.

The seminar is aimed at researchers, doctoral students, and others with an interest in forest- and environment-related issues.

The seminar connects to ongoing research within the research programme Wallenberg Initiatives in Forest Research on the role of emotions, values and historical perspectives in forest-related conflicts and decision-making.

Kaisa Vainio is a visiting researcher within the project “Forests of Emotions: Merging Historical and Philosophical Perspectives to Understand the Role of Emotions in Forest Debates”, led by Professor Erland Mårald and funded by the Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg Foundation as part of a targeted initiative on forest-related research in the humanities and social sciences.

By highlighting how emotional and relational dimensions shape how we understand and value nature and forests, the seminar contributes to a broader understanding of why these issues are often complex and contested, and how different perspectives can be better understood in both research and practice.

Read more about the project.