Helena Rovamo

Helena Rovamo is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences and Business, University of Eastern Finland. She works on the Koneen säätiön (Kone Foundation) funded project Ryhmien välisiä suhteita ja paikallisia kohtaamisia (Intergroup Relations and Local Encounters), examining perceptions of multicultural youth in Savo. Her research focuses on how self-perception and social imagery influence societal actions and intergroup dynamics, particularly through qualitative analysis of populist voter discourse.

• Education: PhD in Social Sciences (2025, University of Eastern Finland), previous nursing education
• Research Interests: Lay representations of populism, nationhood narratives, intergroup relations, discourse analysis, qualitative methodologies
• Projects: Mobilizing Populism (with Prof. Inari Sakki), intergroup relations in multicultural Savo
• Expertise: Qualitative interviewing, narrative-discursive approaches, migration studies

Publications focus on populist discourse, blame attribution in immigration debates, and qualitative methods. She contributes to edited volumes like Qualitative Approaches to the Social Psychology of Populism (Routledge, 2025) and journals including European Journal of Social Psychology and Political Psychology.

Collaborations include working with scholars such as Inari Sakki, Jari Martikainen, and Mariman Mabrouk. Helena emphasizes analytical rigor, empathy, and interdisciplinary approaches in her research and teaching.