- People who use welfare services are rarely the focus of welfare debates, but we feel they should be, says Marjo Kuronen, professor of social work at the University of Jyväskylä and one of the organizers of the EMER (Explorations of Marginalised People’s Everyday Resistance) network. - For this reason, we want to amplify their voices through our research – welfare recipients possess unique knowledge that truly needs to be brought to the forefront.
One example that the network has discussed is how older people fared during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both older individuals living in their own homes and those in care facilities faced significant restrictions. Many felt that they were deprived of their ability to make decisions about their own lives. Being an adult but not being able to assess risks for themselves could be demeaning. But were the voices of the elderly truly heard during the pandemic?
Welfare recipients possess unique knowledge that truly needs to be brought to the forefront.
Marjo Kuronen, professor of social work at the University of Jyväskylä
Upcoming publications
The network is editing a special issue on everyday resistance in welfare systems in Journal of Resistance Studies, the call for papers is published on the journal website. It is also preparing a special issue for the journal Nordic Social Work Research, which will be announced later this spring. Additionally, the network is working on a larger research funding application where they aim to find new ways to bring these voices to the forefront. Importantly, it is not only in the general debate that the voices of welfare users need to be heard more; even in the world of research, the methods applied need to reflect how to create knowledge together with – and not just about – individuals who use welfare services.
Majken Jul Sørensen, associate professor of social science at Østfold University College says: - It is of utmost importance that knowledge about welfare services and how effectively they actually function is created together with these individuals. When we talk about “welfare services” we also mean kindergartens and schools and the children who attend them. The children hold entirely unique knowledge, and therefore, they should also have an active role in the knowledge created about these institutions. That's why we want to create these special issues and hope we can secure funding – to actually develop effective methods to highlight these voices that are so rarely heard.
The children hold entirely unique knowledge, and therefore, they should also have an active role in the knowledge created about these institutions [kindergartens and schools].
Majken Jul Sørensen, associate professor of social science at Østfold University College
The EMER network held a workshop at Østfold University College in Halden, Norway, in November 2023, where the special issue proposals were finalized. For interested researchers, keep an eye out for future calls for papers, and don’t hesitate to contact Majken Jul Sørensen, network coordinator. Contact info is on the Emer network homepage.
The EMER network was formed in 2022 and is a collaboration between Karlstad University, Sweden, University of Oslo, Norway, Østfold University College, Norway, and University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
The network is funded by The Joint Committee for Nordic research councils in the Humanities and Social Sciences (NOS-HS).