Keynotes

Eeva-Kaisa Prokkola, University of Oulu

Eeva-Kaisa Prokkola is a professor in human geography, specializing in regional development and regional policy. Her research and teaching interest include political geography, regional and border region research, political borders, security and securitization, regional resilience and the politics of mobilities (labour mobility, migration, tourism). She has published widely in leading international human geography and interdisciplinary social science journals such as Political Geography, Antipode, Environment and Planning, Social and Cultural Geography, Citizenship Studies, ACME, Tourism Geographies, and European Urban and Regional Studies. She is currently leading a research project on Cross-border resilience (Eudaimonia 2022-2025) and a work package on border landscapes as part of B-Shapes (Borders shaping perceptions of Europe) research consortium (Horizon Europe 2023-2026).

James W Scott, University of Eastern Finland

James W. Scott is Research Professor of Regional and Border Studies at the Karelian Institute of the University of Eastern Finland. He obtained his Habilitation (2006), PhD (1990) and MA (1986) at the Free University of Berlin. His principal fields of research include urban and regional geography, borders, border regions, geopolitics, regional and urban governance, Cohesion Policy and Central European studies. Since 1999, Professor Scott has coordinated several medium-size and large research consortia focusing on border studies and supported by the EU’s Framework Programmes, the European Science Foundation, the Finnish Academy and other sources. He is the co-editor with Thomas Wilson of the Handbook on European Borderlands to be published by Edward Elgar in 2024.