The journal Kulttuurintutkimus has won the 2024 Scientific Journal of the Year award. The award was recently presented and announced during the Science Publishing Days. Editor-in-chief Maarit Jaakkola, Associate Professor at the Department of Journalism, Media, and Communication (JMG), was present in Oulu to receive the prize. The award, worth 25,000 euros, was presented for the third time.
"I see the award as an important recognition for researchers working with culture at a time when the humanities, including media and journalism research, are facing challenges. It shows that we need analyses—even qualitative ones—that capture major changes over time," says Maarit Jaakkola.
Kulttuurintutkimus, which in Swedish means "Cultural Studies," focuses on exploring and analyzing cultural phenomena from various scientific perspectives and publishes articles in both Finnish and Swedish. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Kulttuurintutkimus, which strives to transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries to provide a broader understanding of the role of culture in society.
The jury praises Kulttuurintutkimus for its ability to combine pressing current topics with traditional scientific discussions. Maarite Jaakkola describes cultural studies as a field focused on deconstructing and challenging existing structures in cultures and their power relations.
“The journal is interdisciplinary, meaning that the authors come from a wide range of backgrounds, such as media and communication studies, literary studies, political science, religious studies, and linguistics. During the editing process, the authors, together with the editor, discover how the topic can be analyzed from a cultural studies perspective,” says Maarit Jaakkola.
- Here you can find the journal Kulttuurintutkimus
- Here you can find more information about Maarit Jaakkola, who is also the Deputy Director at Nordicom
Text: Elin Andersson and Annie Rolén
