Henrietta Grönlund

Henrietta Grönlund

Professor of Urban Theology, Docent of Church and Social Studies, Doctor of Theology

 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4106-898X

  • PL 3 (Fabianinkatu 33)

    00014

    Finland

  • Finland

20032026

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Curriculum vitae

I am Professor of Urban Theology, in the University of Helsinki since 2019. My research focuses on three intersecting streams: 1) religion and worldviews in urban space, 2) faith-based and value-based social work, and 3) civil society and civic engagement. My current research interests include the ways in which religion and spirituality, both in their organized and lived forms, manifest in urban contexts and interact with urbanity, especially in relation to questions of inequality and wellbeing.

I have conducted empirical research on these themes in several national and international research projects, and my researh has been published as monographs and in volumes and journals of theology and religious studies, social sciences, and urban studies. This work has been awarded with several national and international academic prizes, and I am a member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters.   

In addition to the Faculty of Theology, I am affiliated with Diversity in Society and Life research community (DIVSOL) and Helsinki Institute of Urban and Regional Studies (URBARIA). 

In my teaching of Urban Theology, I stress community based, experiential, and ethnographic approaches. I have especially developed service-learning in Finnish and European higher education, for example, in UNA Europa and the academic committee of the European Observatory of Service-Learning in Higher Education. The pedagogical approach combines community engagement and reflection with theoretical contents and promotes learning from working on a real world problem.

In addition to my academic career, I have from 2007 until 2016 worked in the Finnish non-profit sector as Director of Civic Engagement, Director of Research and Development, and Education Officer. In these positions I have developed and directed a range of projects and working methods related to urban loneliness, volunteerism, and cross-sectoral cooperation (between cities, non-profits, and businesses). 

Education/Academic qualification

Theology, Doctor of Theology, University of Helsinki

Award Date: 10 Sept 2012

Fields of Science

  • 614 Theology
  • Urban theology
  • Sociology of religion
  • Church and social studies
  • Philanthropic studies

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
Explore network further
View all 148 research outputs
View all 15 projects
View all 9 prizes
View all 377 activities
View all 161 press/media