Åbo Akademi (Turku, Finland), 24–25 September 2025
Gender plays a profound and multifaceted role in young people’s lives, shaping their experiences and opportunities in often complex ways. In contemporary times, youth are living in a world with numerous simultaneous crises—from environmental challenges to political polarization and social inequality. These crises are compounded by the increasingly contentious political discourse around gender, which risks reinforcing binaries and neglecting the nuanced, intersectional realities of young people. This time calls for a critical approach to youth studies for deeper discussions on gender and gendered phenomena in the Nordic countries, especially of the lives of marginalized groups, such as LGBTQ+, racialized, Indigenous, and disabled youth.
Nordic youth research is characterized by its strong collaborative stance and vibrant community with large-scale methodological and theoretical approaches. The symposium aims to challenge the gender-neutral discourse on youth and notice that growing up is a gendered process that should be addressed more thoroughly. Our ambition is to approach gender in young people’s lives in a manner that does not shy away from difficult and hurtful issues. However, we simultaneously emphasize an inclusive debate, where thoughts, ideas, and feelings can be expressed safely.
The Gender in Youth Studies network (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.) is a collaborative network, launched in 2024, with established networks of Girlhood Studies and Boyhood Studies. The network brings together researchers interested in youth and gender and organizes activities such as seminars, webinars, workshops, or other forms of activity suggested by the network members. Network is one of the independent sub-networks of the Finnish Youth Research Society. The network is now organizing a symposium aiming to build a safer and more sensitive space for discussion and collaboration.
Call for papers
Call for papers for the symposium is now open. We invite contributions from researchers and scholars at all career stages and across diverse backgrounds. Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
- Gender in Nordic youth studies: historical and contemporary perspectives
- Challenges and progress in gender equality
- Gendered youth experiences in times of polycrisis
- Inclusion and solidarity in research and beyond
- The future of gender equality
- Racialized and Indigenous youth
- Girlhood, boyhood and queer studies
The maximum length of the abstract is 250 words. The symposium is mainly held in English.
Propose a presentation with the electronic form (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.) by 15th of June 2025 at the latest.
More information
For questions, please contact: Helena.Ristaniemi@oulu.fi or Aino.Tormulainen@humak.fi.
Organizers
The symposium is organized by the Gender in Youth Studies network (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.) in collaboration with the Finnish Youth Research Society and FlickForsk! Nordic Network for Girlhood Studies (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.).