Lisa Gohlke 2024. BEYOND LGBTQ RIGHTS VS. THE TRADITIONAL FAMILY: Diverse Sexual Norms in Geopolitical, Populist, and Everyday Spatial Imaginaries in the Republic of Moldova. Dissertation.

The European Union, Russia, the Dutch politician Geert Wilders, Hungary's Fidesz, or Christian Right organisations - over the past decade, a growing number of political, religious, and civil society actors worldwide have centred their spatial imaginaries of the "own" (political) community and "others" on sexual norms to justify their goals, interests, and actions. In the international political system, Russia has depicted the value of the "traditional family" as threatened by morally depraved "Gayropa" and its promotion of sexual norms governing LGBTQ rights. In the ex-Soviet space, such notions of sexual norms are also incorporated into the spatial imaginaries of national populist actors. For example, the Polish politician Jarosław Kaczyński or the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova have portrayed the family, their nation, and their country's statehood as threatened by sexual minorities and LGBTQ rights. As several populist actors in ex-Soviet countries combine their populist rhetoric with notions of sexual norms on the international scale, they can significantly shape the construction of sexual norms in everyday spatial imaginaries. Using the example of the ex-Soviet Republic of Moldova, this research examines, therefore, how the employment of proclaimed European sexual norms governing LGBTQ rights and Russian traditional sexual norms by Moldovan populist parties influences sexual norms in everyday life.

The research findings illustrate the diversity of spatial imaginaries and their sexual norms in the country as well as their rootedness in past and present global, regional, and national socio-political developments. Written empathy-based stories collected in the Republic of Moldova reveal that hegemonic and alternative everyday sexual norms are shaped by the taboo surrounding "non-heterosexuality" in Soviet times. They are also derived from both social conservative and liberal-democratic values. However, they are hardly influenced by the notions of sexual norms promoted by Moldovan populist parties in their spatial imaginaries during their four electoral campaigns in 2018-2020. Rather, the analysis of seven parties' electoral programmes and statements shows that their notions of sexual norms are tailored to the dominant norms, values, and popular narratives in Moldovan society to mobilise support. The analysis of official EU and Russian foreign policy documents, resolutions, programmes, and speeches up to December 2020 further indicates that sexual norms have become central to both actors' normative rivalry in the ex-Soviet space and the international political system. Moldovan populist parties "borrow" their declared opposing sexual norms and the norms, values, and ideologies from which they are derived and incorporate them into their spatial imaginaries.

By examining the promotion of sexual norms at different scales from the perspective of Critical Border Studies, the research highlights the versatility of sexual norms at the core of bordering practices such as spatial imaginaries. It illustrates how sexual norms can be used to distinguish between "us" and "them" in everyday life and become interlinked with the construction of political borders and socio-cultural boundaries at higher scales. By revealing the diversity of sexual norms in the Republic of Moldova, the research fills the research gap on sexual norms in the country. It also contributes to the scarce literature on the contextual employment of sexual norms by populist actors and the phenomenon of populism in the ex-Soviet space. Finally, by examining the EU's and Russia's promotion of proclaimed opposing sexual norms, the research traces how the spatial imaginaries of both actors evolved until Russia's military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It also shows how their spatial imaginaries are shaped by the global emergence of new social conservatism and its opposition to liberalism.

Cite: Lisa Gohlke 2024. BEYOND LGBTQ RIGHTS VS. THE TRADITIONAL FAMILY: Diverse Sexual Norms in Geopolitical, Populist, and Everyday Spatial Imaginaries in the Republic of Moldova. ISBN 978-952-65431-1-6 (PDF), Eastern Finland University dissertations, Finnish Methodology Society, Metodologia Series, Finland.

Ari J. Tervashonka & Jani Varpa 2024. Constructive scientific peer-review

The following eBook formulates principles and practices that advance the development of peer review to a more constructive direction that supports the development of science. The key nominator is, therefore, what is scientific peer-reviewed and what is not. These standards are viewed from the perspective of writers, editors, and peer-reviewers. Through examples, readers can gain a general scientific view of the peer-review process and its fundaments and standards. We have also delivered collected failed peer-review cases with explanations of what went wrong with these cases to additionally give practical answers on the standards of scientific peer review. Therefore, the book offers broad views on developing constructive peer review standards for hard-working journals, editors, and writers.

Cite: Ari J. Tervashonka & Jani Varpa 2024. Constructive scientific peer-review. ISBN (PDF): 978-952-65052-9-9, Finnish Methodology Society, Finland.

Jari Jolkkonen 2007/2022. Systemaattinen analyysi tutkimusmetodina - Metodiopas

This guidline introduces the basics of systematic analysis as a method. This material has been used not only in the field of study of theology where this guideline is originated. It has been also used in many other fields of study to analyse concepts, arguments, and influences.

Cite: Jari Jolkkonen 2007/2022. Systemaattinen analyysi tutkimusmetodina - Metodiopas. Finnish Methodology Society, Finland.

Kari Väyrynen 2019/2023. VIISAUDEN HAASTE Metafilosofinen johdatus filosofiaan

This book is written on the holistic display of metaphysics in philosophy opening the challenge of philosophy from the perspectives of layman to research of sciences. It covers vast philosophical areas, but it does not only entail basics of the metaphysics but also metaphilosophical didactics. In addition to this Väyrynen has analysed natural, society, religion and cultural concepts as prerequisites of philosophy.

Cite: Kari Väyrynen 2019/2023. VIISAUDEN HAASTE Metafilosofinen johdatus filosofiaan. ISBN 978-952-65052-1-3, Finnish Methodology Society, Finland.

Kari Väyrynen, ed. Ari J. Tervashonka 1986/2023. Pedagogiikka ja Dialektiikka tutkimuksia Hegelistä

Digitalized version of Research writing collection on Hegel's philosophy and its perspectives on pedagogy and didactics. Book entails three major subjects: Hegel's pedagogics and its philosophical fundaments, concept of contradiction in Hegel's reflexionlogic, and Hegel's reflexion and education.

Cite: Kari Väyrynen, ed. Ari J. Tervashonka 1986/2023. Pedagogiikka ja Dialektiikka tutkimuksia Hegelistä. ISBN 978-952-65052-3-7, Finnish Methodology Society, Finland.

Jouko Jokisalo & Kari väyrynen (ed.), ed. Ari J. Tervashonka 1993/2023. Ympäristökysymysten yhteiskunnallisia ja eettisiä näkökulmia

Digitalized version of article collection edited originally by Jouko Jokisalo and Kari Väyrynen. The collection focuses on the society and ethics perspectives of environmental questions. Writers:  Timo Järvikoski, Kari Sallamaa, Jouko Jokisalo, Kari Väyrynen, and Vesa Oittinen.

Cite:Jouko Jokisalo & Kari väyrynen (ed.), ed. Ari J. Tervashonka 1993/2023. Ympäristökysymysten yhteiskunnallisia ja eettisiä näkökulmia. ISBN 978-952-65052-4-4, Finnish Methodology Society, Finland.

Kari Väyrynen 2006/2023. Ympäristöfilosofian historia Maaäitimyytistä Marxiin.

Väyrynen has written this thematically broad 400 pages cohesion of history of environmental philosophy. Book does not only contain chronological historical analysis but also thematic of eastern environmental history and vast variety of topics around the subject. These include intellectual and natural mythological studies, east perspective and perspectives of art, culture and society effects on development of environmental philosophy in different eras.

Cite:Kari Väyrynen 2006/2023. Ympäristöfilosofian historia Maaäitimyytistä Marxiin. ISBN 978-952-65052-2-0, Finnish Methodology Society, Finland.

Ari J. Tervashonka 2023. The third Maxwellian Unification
A systematic analysis of the impact of the Maxwellian ether hypothesis on the development of theoretical physics 1855–1920. Dissertation.

The scientific contributions of James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879) are vastly documented and researched. His electromagnetic equations and two unifications between electricity and magnetism, and electromagnetism and optics are well known in the history of physics. However, how Maxwell imagined phenomena and formulated mathematical equations to govern physical phenomena was underpinned by natural philosophical thought and effectively the central idea of ether. Ether was believed to be a medium for physical actions covering not only electromagnetism and optics but also thermal phenomena and, in some cases, gravitation. Based on the perspective of history of science, this dissertation suggests a third unification to highlight Maxwellian ether's seminal effect. Despite ether eventually being considered a dead end in physics, it had an overall effect on the history of physics by standardising the ether fundaments.

This theory history dissertation covers Maxwellian ether's theoretical development over 65 years. We start with earlier attempts by Maxwell in 1855 to theorise how Michael Faraday's (1791–1867) findings could be formalised in mathematical physics. After decades of development, the rise of ether scepticism and global recognition of the theory of relativity, we will end the inquiry with the suggestion of Albert Einstein and conceptualize ether as a name carrier for the properties of empty space, thusly covering the development between 1855–1920.

The dissertation was conducted with systematic analysis and hermeneutic theory of systematic analysis. The logic of the historical discovery has been kin to grounded studies to provide a historically sound source for research on the theme in the history of physics, intellectual history, and philosophy of science.

Cite: Ari J. Tervashonka 2023. The third Maxwellian Unification A systematic analysis of the impact of the Maxwellian ether hypothesis on the development of theoretical physics 1855–1920. ISBN 978-952-65052-6-8, Eastern Finland University dissertations, Finnish Methodology Society, Metodologia Series, Finland.