Professor Seppo Poutanen

Seppo Poutanen is Senior Research Fellow and Docent of sociology (Adjunct Professor) at the University of Turku, Finland.

Seppo has published in the fields of social epistemology, sociology of health and illness, social theory, science and technology studies, gender studies, and sociology of work & economy (e.g. in Social Epistemology, Critical Public Health, Journal of Critical Realism, Sociological Research Online, International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, Heliyon, Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies, Cogent Education, Journal of Access Services, and several edited volumes). Seppo has worked as visiting fellow at LSE, Goldsmiths College, Harvard University, Stanford University and University of Massachusetts, among others. His research projects in the recent years, with many Finnish and international colleagues, have dealt with gendered nature of innovation policies, and forms of work, professions and entrepreneurialism in the new digitalised platform economy. Currently Seppo is especially interested in how logics and practises of digital platformisation are taking different sectors of public government in Finland, potentially to the extent that a new form of social order can be seen to be emerging.

At Clare Hall, Seppo is accompanied by his spouse, Anne Kovalainen, Professor at the University of Turku. Anne is also visiting fellow at Clare Hall. She is economic sociologist and leading expert on gendered economy and new forms of work. During his stay at Clare Hall, Seppo will work with Anne on their forthcoming co-authored book.