Anna-Maija Castrén

Anna-Maija Castrén is Professor of Sociology at the University of Eastern Finland since August 2023. She coordinates interdisciplinary bachelor programs in social sciences and holds a Doctor of Social Sciences (2001) and Master of Social Sciences (1993) from the University of Helsinki, where she also earned her Docent title in 2010.

• 2019-2023: Associate Professor (Tenure Track)
• 2018-2019: Research Director
• 2016-2018: Fixed-term Professor
• 2013-2016: University Lecturer
• 2013: Visiting Researcher, University of Geneva

Her research focuses on family sociology, social network analysis, and global crisis impacts on family formation. She leads the international NETREP project (2023-2026) examining young adults' family plans across Finland, Portugal, and Scotland amid climate change, economic instability, and post-pandemic realities.

Key research themes include non-traditional family structures, marital transitions, post-separation dynamics, and cultural inclusivity. Her work employs figurational perspectives to analyze family bonds and has produced major publications like The Palgrave Handbook of Family Sociology in Europe (2021) and Family Album (2016), challenging institutional family definitions through children's agency.

She actively contributes to the European Sociological Association's Research Network 13 and chairs the Finnish Society for Research on Families and Personal Relationships (PELS). Her methodological expertise in qualitative network analysis and cross-cultural comparisons has shaped contemporary understandings of family boundaries and personal relationships.