Laura Siragusa — University of Helsinki

Personal profile

Description of research and teaching

My research interests comprise questions related to the revival of heritage languages, language ecology, verbal art and its relations to non-human animals and other beings, domestication, and health.

Since 2008 I have been working with Veps, a Finno-Ugric minority, in northwestern Russia. While my initial interest regarded the promotion of Vepsian heritage language, I later augmented my focus to verbal art and healing practices and human-animals relations as expressed in language.

In 2015 I also began working with Saami in the Kola peninsula, Russia. Here I investigate domestication, reindeer herding practices, and health.

At the moment (2018), I am working on three main projects:

1. Links between (indigenous) ways of speaking and environmental change

2. Language responsibility

3. Indigenous conceptualization of sustainability

In 2018, my colleague Dr. Ferguson (Univ. Nevada, Reno) and I established an EASA network on Linguistic Anthropology (ELAN) to further develop this discipline within the European context.

Education/Academic qualification

Anthropology, PhD, University of Aberdeen

2009 → 2012

Anthropology, MRes, University of Aberdeen

2008 → 2009

Foreign Languages and Literatures, 'Laurea' (BA, MA equivalent), Univ Pisa, University of Pisa

1993 → 1999

Keywords

6160 Other humanities
Indigenous studies
5143 Social anthropology
Linguistic Anthropology
Environmental Anthropology
Medical anthropology
6121 Languages
Vepsian
Russian

International and National Collaboration Publications and projects within past five years.

Selected Publications 2010 2021

9 Chapter
7 Article
5 Anthology or special issue
4 Review Article
4 More
- 2 Book
- 2 Digital or Visual Products

Promoting Heritage Language in Northwest Russia

Siragusa, L., 23 Oct 2017, New York and London: Routledge. 246 p. (Routledge Studies in Linguisitc Anthropology; vol. 1)

Research output: Book/Report › Book › Scientific › peer-review

Selected Projects 2012 2021

1 Not started
4 Active
5 Finished

HUH HELSINKI HUMANITIES PROGRAMME: Indigenous Cultures and Languages

Siragusa, L.

01/09/2017 → 31/08/2020

Project: Research project

Prizes

CASS (College of Arts and Social Sciences), Graduate School, University of Aberdeen, College office, Powis Gate, Aberdeen

Laura Siragusa (Recipient), Sep 2009

Prize: Prizes and awards

CASS (College of Arts and Social Sciences), Graduate School, University of Aberdeen, College office, Powis Gate, Aberdeen

Laura Siragusa (Recipient), Sep 2008

Prize: Prizes and awards

ERASMUS

Laura Siragusa (Recipient), Sep 2011

Prize: Prizes and awards

ERC funded project Arctic Domus, University of Aberdeen

Laura Siragusa (Recipient), Jan 2015

Prize: Prizes and awards

ERMOS (Estonian Research Mobility Scheme) grant financed with the support of FP7 Marie Curie COFUND the “People” Programme, University of Tartu

Laura Siragusa (Recipient), 2013

Prize: Prizes and awards

Activities 2009 2019

33 Public Talks
8 Oral presentation
5 Organisation and participation in conferences, workshops, courses, seminars
2 Supervisor or co-supervisor of doctoral thesis
3 More

Árran - Ecology of Indigenous Languages

Laura Siragusa (Scientific Committee Member), Pirjo Kristiina Virtanen (Member of organizing committee), Rani-Henrik Andersson (Scientific Committee Member), Irja Anneli Seurujärvi-Kari (Scientific Committee Member), Olesya Khanina (Scientific Committee Member)

19 Sep 2019 → 20 Sep 2019

Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Organisation and participation in conferences, workshops, courses, seminars

Assistant to help with Symposium on Year of Indigenous Languages

Laura Siragusa (Participant)

May 2019 → Nov 2019

Activity: Other activity types › Prizes and awards - Prizes and awards

The "Great White North?"

Josephine Hoegaerts (Scientific Committee Chair), Laura Siragusa (Scientific Committee Member), Tuire K Liimatainen (Member of organizing committee), Elizabeth Peterson (Scientific Committee Member), Peter Gustav Stadius (Scientific Committee Member), Pirjo Kristiina Virtanen (Scientific Committee Member)

27 Aug 2019 → 28 Aug 2019

Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Organisation and participation in conferences, workshops, courses, seminars