Story Behind the Research: Meet Karoliina Kantola, Balancing Journalism and Development Studies Research!

In this blog post, Karoliina shares insights into her research journey. Based in Copenhagen as a journalist for YLE, while conducting fieldwork in the Dar es Salaam region of Tanzania, she reflects on the joys and challenges of navigating both worlds. Her dual roles have allowed her to engage with diverse communities and continuously learn from each of them.

Hi all! My name is Karoliina Kantola, I am a doctoral candidate at the University of Helsinki, at the Doctoral Programme in Political, Societal and Regional Changes. In my dissertation, I study Tanzanian female entrepreneurs’ lives, local loan and savings groups (namely Village Community Banks, VICOBAs), and mobile money. Using in-depth interviews, observations, and visual ethnography, I have collected my data in Dar es Salaam region. I find my study fascinating, important, and educative, and I believe my local interlocutors and informants feel the same.

I would describe myself as a curious and social person who loves reading, writing, and getting new information and experiences. That also characterise my work and free time. Graduated as Bachelor of Arts in comparative literature and Master of Social Sciences in journalism at the University of Tampere, Finland, I have done most of my career in journalism. I have worked as a freelancer or a full-timer journalist in Finland, Sweden, and Denmark, and some periods in Japan, South-Korea, and the UK. Yet, my interest in the world issues lead me to also do another degree, Master of Science in global development studies at Roskilde University, Denmark. I got carried away with my studies on microfinance and informal entrepreneurs in the Global South, and, a few years after graduation, I decided to pursue a PhD in political economy of development.

Today, I still live in Copenhagen where I work as the Denmark-journalist for the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE while conducting my doctoral studies. Balancing between fast-tempo news journalism and academic work is not always easy, but it is often rewarding. Sometimes I only have time for the news, the other times I take the time for my studies. What is common to both tasks, is that they allow me to meet and talk with people, learn something new, travel, read, write, create meaningful content, and raise awareness.

In my free time, I similarly enjoy meeting my friends, walking or biking around the city, and reading. I am one of those who still subscribe weekend print newspaper, and I consume lots of news in other media channels too. I am a big user of national broadcasting medias, such as the Danish DR, the Finnish YLE, and the British BBC. Pretty much without an exception, I start my days with a morning radio programme. The highlights of my week include floorball, Zumba, and swing choir.

UniPID seems a great platform to get and share information as well as meet new people online and in-person. Thank you for taking me on board!

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Thank you, Karoliina, for sharing such an inspiring story behind your research. We at UniPID are delighted to be part of your journey and look forward to connecting with you at future opportunities.

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Photo Credits: Hu Chen, 2018 on UnSplash