Introduction: Whose North America? Identities, Agency, and Belonging

Rani-Henrik Andersson served as the McDonnell Douglas Chair, Professor of American Studies at the University of Helsinki Finland during 2014-2016. He was recently appointed University Lecturer of North American Studies and a CORE Fellow at the University of Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies. He is the author of eight books including The Lakota Ghost Dance of 1890 (University of Nebraska Press, 2008). His next book A Whirlwind Passed Through Our Country: Lakota Voices of the Ghost Dance focuses on Lakota accounts of the Ghost Dance and the Wounded Knee Massacre (University of Oklahoma Press 2018). One of his current projects is entitled “Bridging Cultural Concepts of Nature: A Transnational Study on Indigenous Places and Protected Spaces of Nature.” He can be reached at rani-henrik.andersson@helsinki.fi.

Saara Kekki is a doctoral student at the University of Helsinki. Her dissertation employs network analysis to study the changes in the Japanese American community during and after World War II. She is the author of several articles, the co-editor of North American Studies Crossroads: An Anthology of Finnish Perspectives (2014), and the co-author of Intiaanikulttuurien käsikirja: Historian, politiikan ja kulttuurin sanastoa (“Native North America: A Cultural Handbook”, 2013). In 2016 and 2017 she spent altogether 6 months as a visiting scholar at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She can be reached at saara.kekki@helsinki.fi.

Juho Turpeinen is a doctoral candidate in Area and Cultural Studies at the University of Helsinki. Focusing on the United States, his dissertation project on the contemporary political culture centers on an analysis of democratic thought and participation in online environments. Drawing on both democratic theory and empirical analysis, Turpeinen aims to shed light on
how social media and the user comment sections of news websites reflect and shape ongoing debates surrounding land use. For the academic year 2017-2018, Turpeinen is a visiting graduate student in political theory at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He can be reached at juho.turpeinen@helsinki.fi.

Janne Salminen is a doctoral student at the University of Helsinki. He is currently writing his dissertation on the gender narratives of serialized blockbuster films. While most of his research revolves around gender, his other interests include diversity, popular culture, queer narratives, US politics, technology, and fandom. He is also an avid runner and a non-practicing vegan. He can be reached at janne.t.salminen@helsinki.fi.