ANNA RASTAS
Doctor of Social Sciences
Adjunct professor of social anthropology (Tampere University) and European ethnology (University of Helsinki)
I am a senior lecturer at Tampere University (TAU) where I have worked since 2001, as an academy research fellow (2015-2020) senior research fellow (2014-2015), professor of social anthropology (2012-2014), assistant professor, senior lecturer, and researcher. I have lectured in many Finnish and foreign universities and worked as a visiting scholar at the University of Amsterdam in 2017 and the University of California, Davis in 2018. As an ethnographer, I have conducted fieldwork in various countries in Europe, the U.S. and Africa.
My research interests include racism and anti-racism, racialized and ethnic relations, knowledge production of minorities and marginalized communities, diaspora studies, transnationalism, childhood and youth studies, cultural production, and critical heritage studies. My on-going projects focus on museums and exhibitions, African diaspora communities and cultures, as well as discussions and activism related to intersectionality, anti-racism and decolonization. My disciplinary background is in sociology and social anthropology, but I have favored multidisciplinary and intersectional approaches, as well as ethnographic, collaborative and action research methods in all my research projects.
I consider myself an anti-racism activist. In addition to teaching university students, I have trained and consulted authorities, professionals and NGO’s in Finland and internationally. I have previous work experience with, for example, asylum seekers and refugees, NGO’s, and as a journalist. Besides my work, I love my family and friends, all kinds of cultural activities, and working in my garden.
Contact
Faculty of Social Sciences (SOC)
33014 Tampere University, Finland
anna.rastas(at)tuni.fi , +358 40 1909845