John Björkman and Andrea Franchetto appointed as DI’s new postdoctoral researchers
John Björkman and Andrea Franchetto have been appointed as the Donner Institute’s new postdoctoral researchers. The three-year positions will begin on 1 September 2026.
Andrea Franchetto is enthusiastic about joining the Donner Institute’s team and conducting research in Turku.
“I am particularly eager about the opportunities for interdisciplinary work offered through the Turku Hub for Research on Religion, as well as building bridges between academia and society.”
Over the next three years, Franchetto’s project “Rituals of Perceptual Presence in Transformation” will focus on the reception of medieval magic in contemporary alternative spirituality. In the project, he examines how medieval ritual texts are used in present-day practices, the experiences generated through the spiritual worlds of these texts, and how ritual knowledge – embedded in the cosmology and worldview of another era – can still create meaning today.
John Björkman looks forward to developing Nordic collaborative networks in research on folklore beliefs.
“I am both happy and honored to have been selected as a postdoctoral researcher, and I am especially pleased to return to the Donner Institute, which is a unique and highly valuable research organization.”
In his research project “Geographies of the Sacred,” Björkman will explore the boundary zones and points of encounter within folk belief systems throughout history. He will focus on encounters between Finnish and Swedish traditions, between rural and urban contexts, and between pre-Christian and Christian elements, as well as how these encounters are reflected in folk belief. Attention will among other things be paid to the Forest Finn regions in Sweden.
A total of 11 applicants applied for the postdoctoral positions at the Donner Institute. The positions are intended for relatively recent doctoral graduates with expertise in one of the institute’s research areas, that is, the study of religion in a broad sense.
The primary duties of the postdoctoral researchers are to conduct research in order to deepen and expand their respective fields and to establish themselves as independent scholars. In addition, Björkman and Franchetto will contribute to the Institute’s various events, conferences, and seminars, and participate in the planning and editing of its publications.
Collaboration with researchers and teachers at both national and international levels is also an important part of the role. The postdoctoral researchers will therefore become an active part of the academic environment in Turku, particularly in connection with the Donner Institute and Åbo Akademi University, and a visible part of the Institute’s networks and partnerships.