What is your North? A roundtable discussion
Join us for a public roundtable discussion on culture, gender, and 'the North' made possible by the Eudaimonia Institute, University of Oulu.
When: Saturday 7 March, 12:00 – 14:00
Where: Tuba Restaurant
Discussion will be in English, with Finnish translation
Moderators:
Anna Heumann (University of Oulu, Faculty of Humanities)
Máren-Elle Länsman (University of Oulu, Giellagas Institute)
Discussants:
Anna Litewka-Anttolainen (Project Manager, Oulu Culture Foundation, City of Oulu)
Katja Pantzar (Writer and journalist, Helsinki)
Eliza Reid (Author and former First Lady, Iceland)
Helena Ristaniemi (Researcher, Giellagas Institute, University of Oulu)
Hanna Snellman (Vice Rector and Professor of European Ethnology, University of Helsinki)
Event information
Time
Sat 07.03.2026 12:00 - 14:00
Venue location
Mannenkatu 2 90130 OULU
Location
What do we mean when we talk about "the North"? Is it a place on a map, a set of values, a way of living, or something we carry with us? This public roundtable invites perspectives from different “Norths” — Icelandic, Canadian, Northern Finnish and Sámi—to explore how experiences and imaginations of the North are shaped by people, place and belonging.
While the North was once historically peripheral to global issues, it is now increasingly at the center of geopolitical, economic, and climate debates. These considerations are particularly relevant for Oulu, which is both geographically central in Finland but considered by some to be culturally “northern”.
The discussion begins with everyday personal perspectives. Each participant is invited to reflect on their own "North", through a story, image, object, or encounter that captures how northern places have influenced their lives and work. From these lived accounts, the conversation will explore how cultural narratives of the North are formed, challenged, and shared. The roundtable hopes to invite the audience to reflect on their own relationship to the North, and to contribute to dynamic understandings about what the North will become in the years ahead.
Also see the Oulu calendar of events:
in English https://tapahtumat.munoulu.fi/en-FI/page/69984dbacaa5c21539d59f89
Suomeksi https://tapahtumat.munoulu.fi/fi-FI/page/69984dbacaa5c21539d59f89