Vesa Heikkinen

Vesa Heikkinen is a Doctoral Researcher at the Doctoral Programme in Law and holds a Visiting scholar position at the Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki. His research focuses on intersections of Law, Governance, and Space, with a strong emphasis on Republicanism, Civil Religion, and critiques of Liberal Citizenship.

• Email: vesa.heikkinen@helsinki.fi
• ORCID: 0009-0008-5829-0430

His research explores:

• Republican Spatialities: Analyzing how historical and contemporary legal-political frameworks engage with space and collective identity.
• Civil Religion: Investigating its role in shaping democratic norms and governance structures.
• Common Sense in Law: Critiquing the dynamics between expert knowledge and citizen participation in legal-political discourse.
• Liberal Citizenship: Problematizing its limitations in modern democratic systems.

Recent publications include studies on Republican spatialities, Civil Religion, and critiques of Liberal Citizenship, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach combining legal theory, political philosophy, and historical analysis. His work often engages with the implications of globalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

He has actively presented at academic events, including talks on Leo Strauss's Reading of Civil Religion (Feb 2024), Strands of Republican Thought (Feb 2024), and the historical ties between Corporatism and Republicanism (Aug 2024).