Soile Veijola, Professor of Cultural Studies in Tourism, will become Professor Emerita in the summer of 2026. Her forty-year research career will be celebrated on June 2 with an afternoon seminar open to the public at the University of Lapland, in Rovaniemi.

Born in Ii, North Ostrobothnia, in 1960, Veijola began her studies at the University of Oulu in computer science and statistics. She earned her master’s degree in sociology from the University of Jyväskylä. Veijola defended her doctoral dissertation in sociology in 1998 at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Helsinki. That same year, she began working at the University of Lapland as a senior assistant in tourism. Veijola served as acting professor of cultural studies of tourism starting in 2003 and was appointed to the position of professor in 2008.

As a researcher, Veijola has always been interested in the formations in which society manifests itself in people’s lives. Her research has been characterized by an interest in ethical questions and conceptual thinking, as well as a critical approach to the production of knowledge —including academic knowledge. Sociological, social-philosophical, and feminist theories have been invaluable in this regard.

“We researchers are the agents and products of the scientific community, and we are also responsible for the community’s ambitiousness. Research-driven knowledge must be diverse and independent of cyclical trends. We also need to be capable of communicating our research to people other than just each other,” Veijola explains.

Veijola’s research into tourism began somewhat unexpectedly in 1985, focusing on Finnish charter tourism and the role of alcohol as its companion. She and her colleague Eeva Jokinen gave presentations at the Nordic Summer Academy in Denmark, which resulted in Veijola and Jokinen being invited to study alcohol consumption related to Finnish vacationing.

“We ended up doing field research—where else but in Leningrad and Mallorca,” Veijola recalls the early days with a smile.

The collaboration with Jokinen led into a series of publications, including “The Body in Tourism”, which was published in 1994 and provides the perspective on the seminar at hand.

Over the past forty years, Veijola’s research areas have covered a wide range of topics. These have included e.g. alcohol research, body cultures in sports, as well as ideas on fruitful sexual difference, new work, mobile neighbouring, silence of undressed places, methods of measuring the impact of tourism, and responsible tourism planning.

“I have had the good fortune and joy of researching topics that genuinely interest me. My research ideas have emerged as if through creative play, whether on my own or with others. Will future generations of researchers still have this kind of freedom?” Veijola wonders.

Retirement does not mean stepping away from research. Veijola plans to continue her work as a researcher and enjoy life as a grandmother in Jyväskylä. Leaving Rovaniemi will naturally be sorrowful for her.

Old-School Academic Afternoon Seminar: Yliopiston keho (The Body of the University Body) & The Body in Tourism, June 2, 2026

The seminar will also be streamed. The session on The Body in Tourism will be held in English and take place from 2.30 p.m. to 4.15 p.m. Finnish time. In addition to Veijola’s farewell lecture, the event will feature a talk by Professor Emerita Eeva Jokinen and a collaborative presentation by tourism researchers, The Untidy Bodies of Tourism Futures, reflecting on how Veijola’s work continues to travel through research, teaching, and academic life

For the full program and online link, please visit: An Old School Academic Afternoon Seminar: Yliopiston keho & The Body in Tourism – University of Lapland