معرفی
Juha Ridanpää is a University Lecturer in Cultural Geography and Docent at the University of Oulu's Faculty of Science. He specializes in popular geopolitics, narrative regions, postcolonial studies, and minority language revitalization. His work bridges geography with literature, media, and humor studies, examining themes like northern identities, border dynamics, and crisis events. He serves as GDPR Steward for the Faculty of Science and editor of the interdisciplinary journal Literal Geographies.
Research interests include the intersection of humor and cultural identity, particularly among Meänkieli-speaking minorities, as well as spatial narratives in film, music, and literature. Key areas of focus are Arctic geographies, climate discourse, and the geopolitical implications of border policies. His interdisciplinary approach integrates media analysis, literary criticism, and postcolonial theory to explore how cultural narratives shape regional identities.
Publications span topics such as the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War's spatial narratives, climate change fiction in the Arctic, and the role of humor in contesting dominant cultural narratives. His recent work emphasizes resilience thinking in borderland communities and the ethical dimensions of climate discourse in Finnish nationalism.
As a dedicated educator and institutional steward, Ridanpää balances academic research with administrative roles, contributing to both disciplinary scholarship and university governance. His work highlights the importance of cultural geography in understanding contemporary global challenges through a lens of critical regionalism and interdisciplinary collaboration.
