Professor Sami Pihlström's Inauguration

Inauguration ceremonies of new Professors at the University of Helsinki took place on Wednesday the 27th of May. Among them was Sami Pihlström, who is the leader of our CoE's Team 3, and now also a Professor in Philosophy of Religion at the Faculty of Theology. Pihlström's inaugural lecture dealt with the issue of how critical discussion of religion is possible.

The inaugural lecture was given in the University Main Building's Auditorium XIV, which was packed full of audience.

After the lectures, there was a procession to the Great Hall, where Chancellor Thomas Wilhelmsson delivered his inaugural lecture. The programme included also musical numbers by Ylioppilaskunnan Laulajat, a lecture by Professor Barry Gills, and the handing out of the letters of appointment to the new professors.

The ceremony was followed by a Reception in the foyer of the Great Hall and in the Teachers' Lounge.

Family and friends

Pihlström's six-year term as the Director of the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies comes to an end in July. After the festivities in the Main Building, Pihlström had invited his former, current, and future colleagues to an informal follow-up reception, or his HCAS farewell party. This event took place in the common room of the Helsinki Collegium.

Pihlström with his predecessor Simo Knuuttila

Knuuttila and Ilkka Niiniluoto at the Collegium

Anthony Lappin's Visit

On Tuesday the 26th of May, our Centre of Excellence held this spring term's last monthly meeting. The event was organized as a research seminar under the title 'Recognition in and of the Qur'an'. The first talk was given by Professor Anthony Lappin whose research has focused on medieval religious history and literature with a particular interest in hagiography, monasticism and especially Christian - Muslim relations.

After Professor Lappin, Jari Kaukua who is a member of our CoE's team 2, and works at the University of Jyväskylä, also gave a talk.

Jari Kaukua

The event was chaired by Ritva Palmén.

Hanne Appelqvist & Panu-Matti Pöykkö were in the audience...

... as were Ulla Tervahauta and Raimo Hakola

Discussion after the event, Tim Riggs and Janne Mattila facing the camera.

Risto Saarinen with Lappin

Cardinal Koch Talks on Recognition

Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontificial Council for Promoting Christian Unity, visited the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Theology on Tuesday 28 April.

The event took place in the Faculty Hall, and the title of Cardinal Koch's presentation was "The Ecumenical Recognition of Baptism". The talk itself, together with the ensuing conversation, provided a very interesting case of the topic of recognition.

The occasion was chaired by the Dean of the Faculty, Ismo Dunderberg. The Faculty Hall was packed full of audience, and the University's Chancellor Thomas Wilhelmsson was also in attendance.

After the Cardinal's talk, there were responses by representatives of the two Centres of Excellence at the Faculty of Theology, Professors Anneli Aejmelaeus and Risto Saarinen.

Cardinal Koch then proceeded to comment the responses by Aejmelaeus and Saarinen.

Before conclusion, the floor was opened for discussion. Bishop emeritus Eero Huovinen was among those who used the opportunity.

Our CoE to Appear in Atlanta

As a result of our inspired teamwork, the Centre of Excellence Reason and Religious Recognition got a special 2,5-hour session to the program of the American Academy of Religion’s Annual Meeting in Atlanta USA in November 2015. Our session’s title is ‘From Tolerance to Recognition: Recognition and the Acceptance of Otherness’.

The speakers of our session include Olli-Pekka Vainio, Aku Visala, Panu-Matti Pöykkö, Minna Hietamäki, Elina Hellqvist, Ritva Palmén, Heikki J. Koskinen, Anna-Liisa Tolonen, Joona Salminen, and Timothy Riggs. The event will be presided by our CoE leader Risto Saarinen, and as distinguished commentators, we have Jan-Olav Henriksen from the Norwegian School of Theology and Robert Orsi from the Northwestern University.

For us, this is a great opportunity to present our work to an American and international audience. AAR’s Annual Meetings are the world’s largest events in the fields of religious studies and theology, bringing together around 10.000 people. In addition to the special session, our CoE will also make an appearance in the meeting’s Nordic Reception.

● A link to AAR’s page

● A link to the Annual Meeting’s page

Recognition Retreat

During 26-27 February, our CoE organized a two-day Recognition Retreat at the course centre Hvittorp in Kirkkonummi. The event was the first of its kind. Its idea was to get together, to get to know each others' research topics a bit better, and to develop the common strategies of our CoE.

Thursday lunch

In Thursday afternoon's programme, we had six presentations of individual research topics with a coffee break in between. The presentations were given by Joona Salminen, Tim Riggs, Panu-Matti Pöykkö, Hanne Appelqvist, Heikki Haara, and Aku Visala.

Attentive audience

After the papers, it was time for dinner. We then continued by discussing Risto Saarinen's book manuscript Recognition and Religion: A Historical and Systematic Study. A day before, on Wednesday 25 February, Saarinen had presented both the CoE and his own research topics at a meeting of The Philosophical Society of Finland in Helsinki.

Questions and comments

After the official proceedings of the first day, we continued our discussions in a more relaxed manner while enjoying some evening snacks, drinks, and good company.

Ring of Recognition

Returning to the big hall from Friday morning's breakfast gathering, we started the day by mapping and updating our overall timeline, listing various activities and events during the CoE period, most of which still remains in the future.

Discussion of book manuscript

We then divided into three groups in which various topics were discussed. These included academic research publications, popular writing and other forms of societal impact, and aspects of our research strategy.

After the final brainstorming sessions, we concluded by having lunch, and then proceeded to return to the world. Some of us came right back to the office, and prepared our proposals for the AAR Annual Meeting in Atlanta later this year.

Philosophical Analysis of Recognition Theory

After a year's work in the CoE, having written two papers on recognition and a third one on its way, I reformulated the short description of my research themes:

The aim of my research is to contribute to the understanding of the concepts and phenomena of recognition. My research is primarily based on contemporary discussions of recognition theory initiated in the early 1990s by Charles Taylor and Axel Honneth. Their ideas have been further analysed and developed by Heikki Ikäheimo and Arto Laitinen, whose work I also explicitly utilise in my own. One of my specific thematic focuses is on the trilateral notion of mediated recognition. This is understood as a method in which disagreeing parties nevertheless agree about a third party such as a referee, a set of common rules, or a shared form of rationality.

In order to be useful, conceptual analysis needs to be practiced in view of relevant issues, both contemporary and historical. Moreover, to avoid arbitrary stipulation, the analysis also needs to be sensitive to input from various kinds of sources. With its three teams and their wide range of expertise, the Centre of Excellence Reason and Religious Recognition provides a good context for multidisciplinary research aiming to produce informed analyses of and constructive suggestions to recognition theory. The produced analyses and suggestions can then be used as conceptual tools for interpreting and dealing with a variety of textual materials as well as social and political realities. Philosophical analysis of recognition theory has immediate societal relevance also through its close systematic connections with the topics of multiculturalism and identity politics.

Saarinen's New Book on Love Published

On the 8th of January, in connection with The Science Forum 2015 at the University of Helsinki, the Finnish publisher Gaudeamus organized a publication event of Risto Saarinen's new book on love.

Together with respect and esteem, in the research literature love is standardly conceived as a mode or species of recognition. Thus, in addition to love, Saarinen's book also deals to some extent with more general topics of recognition. The Finnish title of the book 'Oppi rakkaudesta' could be translated as 'The Doctrine of Love'.

● Here is a link to the publisher's page.