Past Conferences

2024: Crises and Futures of/in Development
(15.-16.2.2024)

Annual Conference. Keynote speakers: Jayati Ghosh (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Barry K. Gills (University of Helsinki), and Alfredo Saad-Filho (King’s College London). Event included a roundtable in honour of Barry K. Gills titled ‘Reflections on (a) Life in Development’.  

2023: Conflicts and Development Revisited — Prospects for Peace in Times of Emergency (16.-17.2.2023)

Annual Conference. Keynote speakers: Swati Parashar (Gothenburg University), Tor A. Benjaminsen (Norwegian University of Life Sciences) and Andreas Bieler (University of Nottingham).

2022: Infrastructures, Technologies, and Vulnerabilities in Global Development (16.-18.2.2022)

Annual Conference. Keynote speakers: Tania Li (University of Toronto), Timothy Oakes (University of Colorado Boulder) and Nikhil Anand (University of Pennsylvania).

2021 Development, Learning and Education: Post-pandemic Considerations (21.-22.6.2021)

Nordic Conference. Keynote speakers: Linda Herrera (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and Leon Tikly (University of Bristol).

Organized jointly by the University of Jyväskylä, the Finnish Society for Development Research, the Danish Association of Development Researchers in Denmark, the Norwegian Association For Development Research, and the Swedish Development Research Network.

2021 Covid 19-pandemic and development research: Ways forward? (12.2.2021)

Keynote roundtable: Barry Gills (University of Helsinki), Bonn Juego (University of Jyväskylä), Tiina Kontinen (University of Jyväskylä) and Elina Oinas (University of Helsinki). See video.

2020 Inequality revisited: In Search of Novel Perspectives on an Enduring Problem (26.-28.2.2020)

Keynote speakers: Sango Mahanty (The Australian National University, see video) and Dan Brockington (University of Sheffield, see video).

2019 Repositioning global development: changing actors, geographies and ontologies (27.2.-1.3.2019)

Keynote speakers: Giles Mohan (Open University, see video), Ashish Kothari (Radical Global Ecology -network, see video) and Rosalba Icaza Garza (ISS Erasmus University Rotterdam, see video).

2018 The Politics of Sustainability: Re-thinking resources, values and justice (15.-16.2.2017)

Keynote speakers: Jesse Ribot (University of Illinois, see video), Sian Sullivan (Bath Spa University, see video) and Jun Borras (Erasmus University Rotterdam, see video).

2017 Authoritarianism and Development (16.-17.2.2017)

Keynote speakers: Boris Kagarlitsky (see video) and Susanne Dahlgren (University of Helsinki).

2016 Making alternatives visible: Resisting and reshaping the mainstream (11.-12.2.2016)

Keynote speakers: Neera Chandhoke (University of Delhi, see video).

2015 Rethinking Responsibility in Development: Contested Relations between Citizens, States and Corporations (12-13.2.2015)

Keynote speakers: Dinah Rajak (University of Sussex) and Bernadetta Killian (University of Dar es Salaam).

Organizers: FSDR in cooperation with Department of Political and Economic Studies, LYY Institute, University of Helsinki Global South Network (HUGS), University Partnership for International Development (UniPID).

2014 Inclusion/Exclusions? Communities, Identities and Value Systems Reconsidered (12.2.2014)

Keynote speakers: Barry Gills (University of Helsinki) and Claudia Mitchell (McGill University, Canada/Kwa-Zulu Natal).

Organizers: FSDR in cooperation with Department of Political and Economic Studies, Youth and Political Engagement in Contemporary Africa -project, University of Helsinki Global South Network (HUGS), University Partnership for International Development (UniPID).

2013 Knowing development – Developing Knowledge? (14.-15.11.2013)

Keynote speakers: Ritva Reinikka (World Bank), David Mosse (SOAS, University of London), Alice Ndidde (Makerere University), Robert Chambers (IDS, University of Sussex), Göran Hydén (University of Florida) and Lisa Ann Richey (Roskilde University).

Organizers: FSDR in cooperation with The Association of Development Researchers in Denmark, The Norwegian Association for Development Research, The Finnish University Partnership for International Development, UniPID, Aalto University, KEPA, Development Studies discipline (University of Helsinki), and DEVESTU.

2013 Civil Society and Development (8.2.2013)

Keynote speakers: Henning Melber (Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation), Sisay Alemahu (Åbo Akademi) and Mahdi Abdile (Finn Church Aid)

Organizers: Kepa, University of Helsinki Global South Network (HUGS), LYY-institute of the University of Eastern Finland, University of Jyväskylä, Development and International Cooperation – Master’s programme and University of Helsinki, Development Studies Discipline.

2012 Citizenship Transformations in a Global World (11.-12.2.2012)

Keynote speakers: Mervat Hatem (University of Howard, USA), Teivo Teivainen (University of Helsinki), Sian Lazar (University of Cambridge), Carles Feixa (University of Lleida) ja Geoffrey Pleyers (University of Louvain).

FSDR in cooperation with UniPID, Finnish Youth Reseach Network, University of Helsinki’s Global South -network and Department of Political and Economic Studies (University of Helsinki).

2011 Reframing Sustainability? Climate Change and North-South Dynamics (10.-11.2.2011)

Keynote speakers: Arun Agrawal (University of Michigan), Shalmali Guttal (Focus on the Global South, Thailand), Markku Kanninen (University of Helsinki), René Orellana (Bolivia) and Petri Pellikka (University of Helsinki).

FSDR in cooperation with UniPID, Department of Political and Economic Studies (University of Helsinki), Finnish Environment Institute, Kepa, The Siemenpuu Foundation and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

2010 Crises, Conflicts and Development: Multifaceted Perspectives to Security (11.-12.2.2010)

Keynote speakers: Aili Tripp (University of Wisconsinin, Madison, USA), Michaelle Browers (Wake Forest University), Wim Naudé (UNU WIDER) and Elnour Abdalla Elsiddig (University of Khartoum).

Organizers: FSDR in cooperation with, UniPID, The Crisis Management Centre Finland (CMC Finland) and The Development Studies Department (University of Helsinki).

2009 Knowledge, Development and Academic Partnerships (19.-21.2.2009)

Keynote speakers: Stephen Simukanga (University of Zambia), Seppo Hölttä (University of Tampere), Tania Li (University of Toronto) and Giles Mohan (Open University)

Organizers: FSDR and UniPID (see blog)

2008 Development, Justice and Governance: New Challenges in the Global South (24.-25.4.2008)

Organizers: Stephanie Barrientos (University of Manchester), David Demeritt (University of London) and Severine Rugumamu (University of Dar es Salaam).

Organizers: FSDR in cooperation with The Development Studies Department (University of Helsinki) and EADI.

2007 Development Studies: Landscapes and Horizons (16.-17.2.2007)

Keynote speakers: Terence Ranger (University of Oxford) and Jean-Pierre Olivier de Sardan (l’Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences).

Organizers: FSDR