Experiences of Researchivism Workshop at NAAS2025

The WHISOL-project is hosting a workshop on research and activism at the biannual Nordic Association for American Studies conference at the University of Turku, 4-6 June 2025.

The two-part Experiences of Researchivism workshop will kick-off with a roundtable discussion featuring scholars discussing their experiences engaging in activism as researchers, both linked to and beyond their own specific research expertise. The discussion will engage with questions such as: In what ways can scholars combine their research work with engaging in activist movements? How do the two roles of “researcher” and “activist” interact and influence each other? The session will invite open discussion and contributions from the audience. The panelists are Dr. Julie Sze (Professor of American Studies, UC Davis), Dr. Alice Baroni (Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Turku), Dr. Laura De Vos (Assistant Professor, Radboud University), and Hải Nguyễn (Doctoral Researcher, University of Turku) and the session will be facilitated by Dr. Reetta Humalajoki and Mila Seppälä (Doctoral Researcher, University of Turku).

The second part of the workshop will be a creative zine-making session, inviting all participants to create their own zine – a mini-booklet folded out of sheets of paper – on whatever theme(s) they are inspired to work with. In engaging in the creative process of making zines, participants will reflect on the earlier discussion and the broader benefits and challenges of researchivism, share their own experiences of engaging in activism as researchers, pose further questions, and explore motivations or doubts.

Through this workshop, the WHISOL-project will engage in broader dialogue on questions core to the project’s aims, exploring the theme of how researchers can act in solidarity with social movements. The workshop will bring researchers engaging in solidarity with Indigenous social movements into discussion with scholars active in solidarity with Palestine, anti-racist activism, and racial justice and climate crisis movements.