Two new Finnish dissertations feature significant discussion on eco-emotions, and I was glad to be involved in the process of both of them.
Johannes Cairns, Ph.D., defended his disseration in Helsinki on Tuesday 26th August, on the theme of Buddhism and environmental activism. He interviewed Buddhist activists from many countries and the discussions went deep into their life stories. In the research articles which are the core of the dissertation, it is shown how complex negotiations these Buddhists are making in relation to their religion, emotions, identity, and activism.
Many Buddhists have contributed greatly to constructive methods for engaging with eco-emotions, most notably the late Joanna Macy. This dimension shows in Cairns’ data in many ways, and we wrote together a research article on climate emotions and the respondents. For example, some of the respondents organized climate grief activities for other activists. Many had gained new insights on the constructive potential of being angry (in a managed way) from their activism, and this partly contradicted their earlier learning from traditional Buddhist teachings on anger as only negative. You can read more via the link below:
Cairns, J. (2025). Engaged Buddhist responses to the climate crisis: Negotiations among Western Buddhist climate activists. University of Helsinki Press.
There are very interesting connections between my personal history and the two dissertation authors. We found out some years ago that both Cairns and I grew up in the small village of Järvelä in the municipality of Kärkölä. The second dissertation is by Päivi Koponen from University of Turku, who is a teacher, and my own life history has been much shaped by teachers and teaching. My dear mother worked as a teacher all her working life, and I’ve been running on school corridors both as a child and as a young substitute teacher (well, that was a different kind of running).
Koponen’s dissertation, written in Finnish, applies a traumainformed perspective to environmental pedagogy, especially in relation to teaching literature in high schools. The dissertation is unusual in its wide interdisciplinarity, and I was delighted to be both a pre-examiner and the opponent of the dissertation defence in Turku on 22nd August. I tried to apply bell hooks’ style in practice: it is possible to combine academic rigor with benevolence.
Hopefully Koponen’s insightful work will be available also in English in the future.
Links (in Finnish) to the dissertation and a recording of the defence: https://www.utu.fi/fi/ajankohtaista/tapahtumat/vaitos-yleinen-kirjallisuustiede-fm-paivi-koponen
A press release: https://www.utu.fi/fi/ajankohtaista/mediatiedote/vaitos-ymparistokriisin-aiheuttamaa-nuorten-ahdistusta-voi-kohdata