Nora Schuurman
YTT, dosentti
nora.schuurman@utu.fi Arcanuminkuja 1 Turku ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0835-5223 |
Human-animal relationships; human-forest relationships; home; relational space; agency; human--animal boundary; care; death; eco-nationalism
Human-Animal Studies; human-forest research
With a background in human geography, I specialise in the interdisciplinary study of human--animal relations. Since 2018, I have worked at the University of Turku, currently in the project Shared Paths: Forests as Multispecies Homes, funded by the Kone Foundation (2023-2027), and before that in my Academy Research Fellow project Landscapes of Interspecies Care: Working the Human--Animal Boundary in Care Practices (2018--2023). Before this, I worked at the University of Eastern Finland, in research projects focusing on human-horse relations (Academy of Finland) as well as animal death (Kone Foundation). I am Adjunct Professor (Docent) of Human–Animal Studies at the University of Turku, as well as Adjunct Professor (Docent) of Animal Geography at the University of Eastern Finland. I led the Turku Human--Animal Studies Network (TYKE) in 2018-2022.
My research focuses on human–animal relationality, from a cultural and spatial perspective. In my current project, I explore experiences of forests as multispecies homes. I have previously studied cultural conceptions and practices regarding interspecies care, animal welfare and death, with themes such as animal agency, the human–animal boundary, performativity, emotions, knowledge, and expertise as well as eco-nationalist discourses concerning animals.
I apply a variety of qualitative methods in my research, using data such as social media discussions and blogs, experiential narratives, photographs, videos and ethnographic interviews. My work focuses on European contexts, most often in Finland and the UK.
- Reclaiming a rescue dog from abroadA good time to die: Horse retirement yards as shared spaces of interspecies care and accomplishment (2020) Nora Schuurman
(E1 Popularised article) - Encounters with a canine other: performing domestication in transnational animal rescue and rehoming (2019)
- Social and Cultural Geography
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Interpreting animals in spaces of cohabitance: narration and the role of animal agency at horse livery yardsAging animal bodies: horse retirement yards as relational spaces of liminality, dwelling and negotiation (2019) Equine Cultures in Transition: Ethical Questions Nora Schuurman, Alex Franklin
(A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book) - Kirja-arvio: Tottelevaisuuden loppu. Justyna Włodarczyk: Genealogy of Obedience: Reading North
American Dog Training Literature 1850s–2000s. 2018. ISBN: 978-90-04-38028-8. (2019)- Trace: Finnish Journal for Human-Animal Studies
(B1 Non-refereed article in a scientific journal) - Transgressing boundaries of grievability: Ambiguous emotions at pet cemeteriesKertomukset eläimen kuolemasta lapsuuden kokemuksissa (2019)
- Emotion, Space and SocietySosiologia
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - (2018)
- Journal of Rural Studies
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Experiences of Pet Death in Childhood Memories (2018) Research Handbook on Childhoodnature Nora Schuurman
(A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book) - (2017)
- Social and Cultural Geography
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Eläimen kuolema lapsuuden kokemuskertomuksissa (2017) Schuurman Nora
(E1 Popularised article) - Horses as co-constructors of knowledge in contemporary Finnish equestrian culture2017Shared Lives of Humans and Animals: Animal Agency in the Global North Schuurman Nora
(A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book) - (2017)
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Performing good death at the veterinary clinic: experiences of pet euthanasia in Finland (2017)
- Area
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - The transnational image of the Spanish horse in the leisure horse trade (2017) Equestrian Cultures in Global and Local Arenas Schuurman Nora
(A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book) - Viimeinen katse ja kuonon hipaisu. Lemmikkieläimen toimijuus kuolemaa koskevissa kertomuksissa (2017)
- Sukupuolentutkimus - Genusforskning
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Affect, Space and AnimalsConceptions of equine welfare in Finnish horse magazines (2016) Nyman Jopi, Schuurman Nora
(C2 Editorial work for a scientific compilation book) - Eläimen kuoleman kohtaaminen perheessä (2016)
- Thanatos - Suomalaisen Kuolemantutkimuksen Verkkojulkaisu
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - In pursuit of meaningful human–horse relations: responsible horse ownership in a leisure context (2016) Affect, Space and Animals Schuurman Nora, Franklin Alex
(A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book) - Introduction (2016) Affect, Space and Animals Nyman Jopi, Schuurman Nora
(A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book) - The human–horse relationship challenged by pregnancy and motherhood (2016) The Meaning of Horses Schuurman Nora, Sireni Maarit
(A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book) - (2015)
- Society and Animals
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)



