Tuija Pulkkinen

Tuija Kaarina Pulkkinen
Born 30 July, 1956, Pihlajavesi

Master of Political Science 1982 (Political History), Licentiate of Political Science 1989 and Doctor of Political Science 1996 (Practical Philosophy), University of Helsinki;

Docent of Practical Philosophy 1998, University of Helsinki
Docent of Political History 2002, University of Turku
Docent of Politics, Philosophy and Women’s Studies 2002, University of Jyväskylä

Professor of Women’s Studies 2008-, University of Helsinki

Editor of collected works of J.V. Snellman, Council of State (1983–91)
Research Assistant, Academy of Finland/University of Helsinki (1991–95)
Researcher (1996–97), Senior Project Researcher (1998–2003); Professor (2003–07), University of Jyväskylä
Academy Professor, Academy of Finland (2011–15).

Research abroad: Freie Universität, Berlin (1986); University of California, Santa Cruz (1991–94); University of Greifswald (1998–99); University of Minnesota (2002); University of Manchester (2007-09); Université Paris 8 (2012).

Research interests
Political thinking and concepts, feminist theory, political theory, history of philosophy, history of concepts, German idealism.

Publications, research projects and other academic activities

Over 100 academic publications, incl. nine books.

Deputy Director, Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence: Political Thought and Conceptual Change (2006-11)
Academy Professor, Academy of Finland 2011–2015
Director, National Doctoral Programme of Gender studies (2012–15)
Director, Doctoral Programme ‘Gender, Culture and Society’, University of Helsinki, 2014-
Board member, InterGender – International Consortium for Interdisciplinary Feminist Research Training (2009-)
Chair, Sukupuolentutkimuksen seura (SUNS) (‘Association of Gender Studies’) (2009-)
Board member, International Association of Women in Philosophy (IAPh), (2009-)

Awards and special achievements
Member, Finnish Academy of Science and Letters (2011-)

Photo: Mika Federley
Written by Tuija Pulkkinen and Suvi Uotinen (ed.)
Translated by John Calton

International Refereed Academic Journals Can Spring up in Finland

It has been great to be part of an effort that started out as a modestly Finnish publication and has now risen to become an international peer-reviewed high-quality specialist journal. The journal began in the 1990s as a window for Finnish political thought, and we took it – from within our Centre of Excellence in Political Thought and Conceptual History – to an international publisher. Redescriptions combines the elements of my own research field: it is subtitled Political Thought, Conceptual History and Feminist Theory and I am one of its two editors-in-chief.

Where academic publications in the humanities are concerned, I believe in quality. My fear is that the present publication ratings can easily lead us astray: if everyone wants to publish in the journals which have already been rated as top, less that is new will be created. It is well known that in the field of humanities and social sciences what is interesting and original often starts in the margins, and it’s not unheard of that many real pearls continue their existence out of the limelight.

Pulkkinen’s Redescriptions editorial is here.

By Written by Tuija Pulkkinen. Translated by John Calton.