How late-modern nomads imagine tomorrow? A Causal Layered Analysis practice to explore the images of the future of young adults

Images of the future represent fears, hopes and anticipations humans have for the future. Understanding the images of the future of young people provides a beneficial source of information not only about their probable future actions but also about their current motivations, decisions and choices. This article describes the procedure of exploring the images of the future of a group of young adults from different cultural backgrounds who are Bachelor and Master’s degree students in Finland. Due to the intricate nature of the images of the future and also the existent complexity within the current societal context, this study proposes that investigation of the images of the future demands a refined, subtle selection of methods. During this study, a combination of several interview techniques is employed to collect the qualitative research material. Then Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) is utilized as a multi-layered theoretical framework for qualitative content analysis of the material. The results include four images of the future which reflect on different levels of the young adults’ understandings and feelings. The first image, Living With the Chill, displays the most pessimistic view of the future and the fourth, Imagine…!, is the most optimistic one. Two other images, Fear and Hope, and Life as a Chance for Dedication, are moderate, not very optimistic, nor very pessimistic. The images of the future of the participants of this study suggest that young adults tend to define the future in terms of presence or absence of the current societal concerns and do not seem to exceed this framework. They also indicate that the studied young adults’ radically negative or positive approach toward the future have reduced their perceived locus of control. We conclude that using CLA in the analysis of interview material produces a fruitful, rich, in-depth understanding of the images of the future.</p

Coolest student papers at Finland Futures Research Centre 2020–2021: Tulevaisuuden tutkimuskeskuksen valittuja opiskelijatöitä 2020–2021

You are reading our already sixth annual publication of the Coolest Student Papers. With this publication, we at the Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC) want to create a channel for making visible the hard work, academic talent and creativity featured in our courses. This issue covers courses from the international Master’s Degree Programme in Futures Studies (FUTU), courses organised by Finland Futures Academy (FFA) (taught in Finnish), and the interdisciplinary team work course of Sustainable Development Studies (KEKO) (taught both in Finnish and in English). All study programs are coordinated by the FFRC. Each course forms its own section with a description of intended learning outcomes, an introduction by the teacher(s), followed by the papers. This year’s papers are unique not only because of their interesting ways of exploring and peeking into futures but also because they all have been written during the global pandemic. It makes you appreciate these papers even more, when you realize the lack of luxury of face-to-face peer commenting. The futures community in Finland is quite widespread and we know that both our current students and our alumni are always looking forward getting a hold of this publication. But only when we learned that we have readers around the world we have realized that there is a special need for this kind of a publication. Academic approach does not have to be boring and full of rules. We hope that you enjoy the perceptional knowledge and the kaleidoscopic view these papers offer in futures studies. We would also appreciate any feedback you want to give! You can send your feedback via [email protected]

Images of the future of young refugees

Images of the future are products of fears, hopes and anticipations developed by human beings in order to confront the uncertainty of the future. They influence their holders’ decisions and behaviors and become evident when the future arrives. Unfolding the images of the future of refugees as a vulnerable social group provides a beneficial source of information for effective decision-making toward their empowerment. This article describes several factors affecting the images of the future of refugees and argues why images of the future of refugees must be investigated and contemplated

Images of the Future of Young Refugees

Images of the future are products of fears, hopes and anticipations developed by human beings in order to confront the uncertainty of the future. They influence their holders' decisions and behaviors and become evident when the future arrives. Unfolding the images of the future of refugees as a vulnerable social group provides a beneficial source of information for effective decision-making toward their empowerment. This article describes several factors affecting the images of the future of refugees and argues why images of the future of refugees must be investigated and contemplated. </p