The Foundation of the Finnish Institute in the Middle East awarded two anniversary scholarships for master’s theses dealing with the Middle East. Scholarships were awarded to Dritëro Ferri, whose research deals with J. J. Sederholm and the League of Nations Commission of Enquiry in Albania, and Anniina Niittynen, who studies women’s experiences of mobility from Egypt to Europe.
Ferri examines the League of Nations Commission of Enquiry sent to Albania in 1921 to delineate the borders with Greece and Yugoslavia. The commission’s head was none other than J.J. Sederholm, Finland’s most prominent geologist. No monograph or article has been written about Sederholm and Albania, and hardly anything has been written about the Commission in general. The material analysed includes his private letters, and his reports on the online League of Nations archive. Aside from a news piece by Hilma Granqvist, Sederholm remains an obscure figure in Finland, despite his advocacy abroad for the Finland’s rights during Russification, and his role in solving the Åland dispute. Sederholm’s description of Islam in Albania offers us a unique Finnish view on Islam as practiced in the understudied area of the Balkans.
In her dissertation, Niittynen intends to examine, by means of interview research, how gendered factors have influenced Egyptian women’s motivations, opportunities and practices related to immigration, as well as what experiences Egyptian women have with moving to Europe. In her thesis, she applies an intersectional model of mobility, which examines the reasons and motivations for immigration in a multidimensional way. The topic of the dissertation is socially significant and current in a situation where Egypt’s authoritarian society does not offer its citizens, especially women, attractive future prospects. On the other hand, anti-immigration rhetoric is common in Europe and the diverse perspectives of immigrants, especially women, are not given space in the discussion. The study creates new information about what kind of motivations and experiences women in particular have in relation to mobility from Egypt to Europe.
In honor of its anniversary, the foundation collected donations for the anniversary scholarships. Scholarship funds were collected at the end of 2024 both through a lottery and direct donations. A warm thank you to all the donors and congratulations to the scholarship recipients!