Ella Alin

I am a Sociology PhD candidate at the Doctoral Programme in Gender, Culture and Society at the University of Helsinki. In my doctoral research, I study the intersections of race, gender, and class in the lived experiences of people in interracial relationships in Finland.

Interracial relationships present a unique case, where whiteness as a social structure is continuously experienced from close quarters. In my doctoral research, I investigate lived experiences of “white” partners and partners “of colour” in interracial relationships in Finland. The study produces interpretations of the significance of racial and gendered positionality in intimate relationships, the mechanisms through which racial inequalities are experienced, perpetuated, and challenged in said relationships, and how whiteness as a social historical system affects everyday life in the Finnish context.

My supervisors are Professor Elina Oinas (Sociology, Swedish School of Social Sciences), Academy Research Fellow Eija Ranta (Global Development Studies, University of Helsinki), and Docent Veronika Honkasalo (Sociology, University of Helsinki). My research has been funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Doctoral Programme in Gender, Culture, and Society.