Educating and Training Young People in the Nordic Therapeutic Welfare State

The Social Transformations and Education Research Hub unpacking education brown bag seminar

This seminar focuses on current neoliberal Nordic welfare state reforms, era of multiple crises, therapeutic policies and practices and post-welfarist (youth) subjectivities. Taking Finland (“the happiest country in the world” and “the model country of education”) as an example, the seminar demonstrates a new more hybrid model of network governance in terms of education and training. The big question relates to the future of education and how changes and pressures in societies and globally impact education. The seminar is based on on-going research relating to current changes in transnational and cross-sectoral policies, support systems in the ethos of vulnerability and young people’s agency.

The seminar is presented by Kristiina Brunila, Associate Professor in sociology and policy studies in education, University of Helsinki. She directs AGORA for the study of social justice –research centre and is founding member of the Nordic Centre of Excellence (JustEd). She directs three research and development projects relating to cross-sectoral policies, marketisation, governance and social justice in education. With her research group she has published widely about marketizing/privatising policies, governmentality, and inequalities. Brunila’s work relates to global network governance, education as business, and psychotherapeutic ethos. Her recent publications focus on politics, vulnerability, affectivity and human subjectivity in understanding historical, social, political and economic processes in play.