Research and reports
More publications can be found on the Finnish page and Swedish page (in Finnish and Swedish).
Cupore Fact Sheet: Diversity in the field of arts and culture: Development of monitoring data
This fact sheet describes the needs and conditions for developing tools for diversity monitoring and data production on diversity in the arts and culture sector.
Lahtinen, Emmi, & Karttunen, Sari (2023). Diversity in the field of arts and culture: Development of monitoring data (2nd ed.). Fact Sheet 5. Center for Cultural Policy Research Cupore.
Art, Culture and Diverse Finland : Final Report of the Working Group for Cultural Policy, Immigrants and Promotion of Cultural Diversity
Publications of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland 2021:5. The increasing diversity of the Finnish population needs to be mainstreamed into the planning and decision-making procedures in arts and cultural policy. The funding of arts needs to be developed strategically, taking into account the growing societal importance of cultural diversity. Successful mainstreaming means engaging migrants more equitably into arts and cultural life. It is important to see multilingualism and diverse cultural competences as human resources and as an integral part of Finnish cultural life. Multilingualism and knowledge about different cultures play an important role in creative working communities, and we need a new understanding of this role.
Art, Culture and Diverse Finland (Publication Archive Valto)
Opening. The status of foreign-born arts and culture professionals in Finland
In 2017–2020 Cupore carried out a research project to review the status of foreign-born arts and culture professionals in Finland. The research also focused on the related practices at the museums, theaters and orchestras within the central government transfers system, at the national arts and cultural institutions, and more closely, at the National Museum of Finland, the Turku City Theatre, the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra and Arts Promotion Centre Finland. This report compiles the findings of the study. The research was part of a more extensive project entitled Opening. Becoming an agent in the field of arts and culture in Finland (by Culture for All Service, Globe Art Point and Cupore).
Opening. The status of foreign-born arts and culture professionals in Finland (Cupore.fi)
My Language, My Homeland. Recommendations for the Improvement of the Kurdish-Nordic Literary Field.
The report written by Husein Muhammed maps the history and the situation of literature in Kurdish languages in the Nordic countries and the obstacles the writers are faced with. The report also includes recommendations and concrete suggestions on how to strengthen Kurdish language literature and support its writers in the Nordic countries. The report is one of the outcomes of the project Multilingualism and Diversity as a Resource in the Cultural Field. Published 2018.
My Language, My Homeland [PDF]
My Language, My Homeland [DOCX]
The report in Kurmanji
Zimanê min, Welatê min. Pêşniyaz bo baştirkirina rewşa edebiyata kurdî li welatên Bakurî [DOCX]
Zimanê min, Welatê min. Pêşniyaz bo baştirkirina rewşa edebiyata kurdî li welatên Bakurî [PDF]The report in Sorani
زمانی من، وڵاتی من پێشنیاز بۆ باشترکردنی ڕەوشی وێژەی کوردی لە وڵاتانی (PDF)باکووریی
زمانی من، وڵاتی من پێشنیاز بۆ باشترکردنی ڕەوشی وێژەی کوردی لە وڵاتانی (DOC) باکووریی
Anti-racism and equity in the visual arts
CVAN London x INIVA published this Report on Anti-Racism and Equity in the Visual Arts in 2023. Based on the "Art practice as research" methodology, it responds to the question, "What does an anti-racist institution look like?"
Finnish Actors Unions' survey: There is discrimination and racism in the industry
Finnish Actors Union conducted a survey on ethnic and cultural diversity in actors work in Finland. The survey reveals that that there is discrimination and racism in the industry. Actors belonging to a minority report facing problems breaking in and working in the acting industry.
Results from the survey:
- Racism and discrimination is not recognised or (wanted to be) seen
- Workplaces lack strategies to handle discrimination
- Casting and programming does not pay attention to discriminatory practices
Finnish Actors Unions' survey: There is discrimination and racism in the industry
Time to Act: Two Years On
Two years on from the groundbreaking Time to Act report, British Council has commissioned On the Move, the international cultural mobility network, to conduct a follow-up report looking further into the knowledge gaps in the cultural sector that contribute towards inequalities for disabled artists and audiences. This new report published in 2023 reveals data-led insights into the accessibility, inclusion, international mobility and professional development of disabled artists in the European performing arts sector, as well as the progress made over the past few years.
The Executive Summary of the report is available in English, French, International Sign, Italian, Polish and Spanish. The English summary is also available as an audio version.
Time to Act: How lack of knowledge in the cultural sector creates barriers for disabled artists and audiences
A research report authored by On The Move, and commissioned by the British Council in the context of Europe Beyond Access. Published 2021.
Spanning 42 countries, Time To Act provides the first transnational evidence that lack of knowledge in the mainstream cultural sector is a key barrier preventing disabled artists and arts professionals participating equally in European culture.
Time to Act report (this will take you to disabilityartsinternational.org)
Echoes in the body : understanding deaf embodiment
Karjalainen, Noora (2022, Theatre Academy of the The University of the Arts Helsinki)
In this thesis, I consider the corporeality of a deaf person in the context of theatre pedagogy. I approach the subject through the framework of embodied learning and holistic conception of human beings, looking for answers to questions such as how deaf bodies are in this world, and how deaf bodies think. This thesis aims to participate in art pedagogical and norm-critical discussions about, among other things, the role of art pedagogy and the representation in performing arts.
Echoes in the body : understanding deaf embodiment (taju.uniarts.fi)
Women Artists from non-Western Backgrounds in the Swedish Context. An Intersectional Perspective to Artistic Resistance.
Gökçe Sandal (2018) explores the topics of equality and inclusion of non-Western immigrant artists into the Western mainstream arts scene. Through an intersectional research focus, it argues that being a woman from a non-Western ethnic background and being an artist create site specific challenges for artists in gaining recognition and success within the industry. The main argument states that the Western art world still carries neocolonial overtones, and that the institutional practices of multiculturalism rely on a problematic manner of tokenism which creates a new stereotype of an exotic non-Western artist with strong roots in their cultural backgrounds. The study is a Master's Thesis (University of Helsinki).
Women Artists from non-Western Backgrounds in the Swedish Context (link to Helda database)
A Writing Hand Reaches Further - ”Čálli giehta olla guhkás” - Recommendations for the improvement of the Sámi literary field
A Writing Hand Reaches Further [DOCX]
Recommendations for improving the Sámi literature field
Recommendations for improving the Sámi literature field (PDF)
Recommendations for improving the Sámi literature field (DOCX)
A View of the Conditions of Arabic Literature in the Nordic Region
Report by Ahmed Al-Nawas on the Arabic-Nordic literary scene gives an overview on the conditions of this parallel and often unrecognized literary field. Themes of the report include the role of Arabic language in Nordic literature including translations, possibilities of publication, Arabic language authors’ inclusion in the literary field and the distribution of literary works. The report is one of the outcomes of the project Multilingualism and Diversity as a Resource in the Cultural Field. Published 2017.Brainstorming Report: Gender Balance in the Cultural and Creative Sectors
This document is the end result of a Brainstorming Session which took place at Goethe-Institut Prague (Sept 4-5 2019) as part of the Voices of Culture event focusing on Gender Equality: Gender Balance in the Cultural and Creative sectors.
FAQ Feminism and Queer in Art Education
First FAQ is a collection of critical, contemporary feminist and queer scholarship emerging from the Department of Art at Aalto University, with contributions from Finnish and international students as well as faculty. The book advocates for non-normative educational, artistic, and cultural approaches that explore largely silenced issues. The texts emerge from personal experiences, but address systemic discrimination embedded within broad institutional and political structures. Edited by Suominen, Anniina & Pusa, Tiina. Published 2018. The printed book can be purchased through Aalto Arts Books.
FAQ Feminism and Queer in Art Education [PDF]
More of these 'cross-boundary' activities, please! Sexual education-themed mythbusters workshops in the Helsexinki exhibition at Helsinki City Museum through co-operation with experts
In relation to the exhibition Helsexinki at the Helsinki City Museum 2017, a huge workshop project was carried out. The Mythbusters project had its roots in the will to spread information to young people on sexuality, gender identity and sex. The right to sufficient and correct information on these issues is a central sexual rights question which is also in the focus of the exhibition Helsexinki. The project was carried out in cooperation with several expert organizations.
The online publication for Mythbusters (PDF)
Wandering words. Comparisons of the Position of Non-dominant Language Writers in Nordic Organizations
This report written by Outi Korhonen and Rita Paqvalén is an attempt to map the Nordic literary field in regards to the position of the writer who writes in non-dominant languages.The aims of the report are to compare the situation in the different Nordic countries and to find out what possibilities and obstacles there are for writers who write in non-dominant languages, to highlight the problems involved and to also describe some of the best practices in the different Nordic countries. The report was published 17.3.2016.
Wandering words [DOC]
Wandering words [PDF]
Community Action Programme on Social Exclusion - The role of culture in preventing and reducing poverty and social exclusion
A summary of the main findings of a study commissioned by the Centre for Public Policy at Northumbria University. The study analyses and identifies cultural policies and programmes that contribute to preventing and reducing poverty and social exclusion. Policies in eight Member States are examined in the study (Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom) and an overview of policies in five new Member States is also included.
The role of culture in preventing and reducing poverty and social exclusion [PDF]
Representation matters: national identity, marginalisation and intersectionality in permanent exhibition curation and museum strategy of the National Museum of Finland
The research is Lilja Lehmuskallio's master's thesis from Arts Management in Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki. The thesis is focused on how the National Museum of Finland is constructing national identity in their current permanent exhibitions and why there is a lack of more diverse representation considering minority and marginalized groups and identities in the Finnish national narrative and identity.
This multidisciplinary study operates in the fields of arts management, feminist museology and critical heritage studies. The results suggest that the core issue in increasing minority representations is in the curatorial definition of the exhibition's core concept to what the visitor should identify themselves with (samastumisen kohde). In order to create social cohesion through an inclusive conception of Finnish national identity, intersectional approach is needed in re-defining the core concept of identifying. Published in 2021.
Cultural Diversity and Integration at Museums. A Study of Pedagogical Programmes for Immigrants at National Museums in Finland and Sweden.
A master's thesis by Linnea Ollaiver (Uppsala University) sheds light on the relationship between ideals and practices concerning museum's role in integration and cultural diversity. Ollaiver has studied pedagogical programmes at the National Museum of Finland and at the Swedish History Museum. The study shows that the ideal of culturally diverse society and pedagogical practices do not always meet each other. The thesis is published in 2016 and it is written in English.Cultural Diversity and Integration at Museums [PDF]
Cultural Diversity and Integration at Museums [DOC]
Diversity and the Museum
The report includes an analysis of multicultural Sweden, a study of methods and fundamental concepts, and a section devoted to concrete proposals. There is much that can be improved in our museums, the report concludes. And this is not just a matter of what museums present, but also of how the material is portrayed and by whom. Published by The Swedish Exhibition Agency, 2015.
Diversity and the Museum [PDF]
Immigrant artists in the Finnish support system for the arts
Paula
Karhunen's study (Arts Promotion Centre Finland, 2013) aims to clarify
how persons classified as immigrants are treated within the Finnish
support system and by art policy. Is equality realised or are some
applicants overlooked within support policies? The whole research report is available in Finnish.
Summary: Immigrant artists in the Finnish support system for the arts [PDF]
Outreach Europe
The project Outreach Europe is an extensive survey on museums and cultural institutions spread across Europe. Outreach Europe will look at how best to work with groups that are often overlooked in outreach, inclusion and volunteering opportunities. You can have a look at the project's findings in the research page and the good practice page on the website of the project.
Report on peer-led voluntary initiatives in Finnish museums. Reviewed cases: Kulttuuriluotsi and Kultu
A report by Giovanna Esposito Yussif seeks to shed some light on the work developed by Kulttuuriluotsi and Kultu, two voluntary actions supported by major Finnish museums, whose work aims to seduce new and diverse audiences into participating in and with the museums and other art and culture related institutions.
Report on peer-led voluntary initiatives in Finnish museums [DOC]
Report on peer-led voluntary initiatives in Finnish museums [PDF]
Transcultural musicians discussed their situation in Finland
In Living Room Session organised by Global Music Centre on Monday 14.4.2014 transcultural musicians discussed their current situation in Finland. Discussion was written down by Outi Korhonen, regional artist on cultural diversity.
Transcultural musicians discussed their situation in Finland [DOC]
Transcultural musicians discussed their situation in Finland [PDF]
