J P Roos
Encyclopedia
J. P. Roos (born April 30, 1945, in Helsinki
) is a Finnish
sociologist and former President of the European Sociological Association
. Currently, he is professor in social policy
at the University of Helsinki
.
.
Roos resigned from the Communist Party of Finland
in the early 1980s.
Roos studied in the University of Chicago
, and taught at UCLA, University of Geneva
, EHESS
in Paris
, University of Minnesota
.
His main research areas are: Evolutionary sociology, generations, especially the baby boomer
s' generation, life stories and autobiographies, human rights
in child protection, the social impact of mobile phone
s, intellectuals, well-being and ways of life in Finland in relation to social policy and social structure.
In the 1980s and 1990s he worked with the comparative use of the life story approach, in particular in Russia
, the Baltic and Northern Europe
, and the question of men's life (and life stories) in Finland. He has participated in the organization of several autobiographical collections for the "ordinary people" and used this material in his work. His best known theoretical contribution is a typology of Finnish generations in the 20th century. Another is the concept of happiness barrier, which denotes the tendency to present one's life as much happier than it really is.
In 2002 Roos wanted to block Lasse Lehtinen
, a moderate SDP member, from receiving a doctorate and scorned him in media.
Recently (2006), he has started a Finnish project (with European comparative data) about the interactions between the baby boomer generation with both its parents and children. He has also become interested in theory of evolution
and evolutionary sociology, and has been President of the Darwin Society in Finland. He is also known as a supporter and defender of Tatu Vanhanen
and Richard Lynn
's controversial research
on race and IQ.
He is also full member of the Finnish Academy of Sciences from 1995.
He has translated and introduced Pierre Bourdieu
's Questions de sociologie, into Finnish
.
He has published more than 200 scientific books and articles.
In 2007 Lasse Lehtinen
published a letter full of personal insults he received from Roos, which was noted by the media. In the private letter Roos states that he is happy for Lipponen
's bad health, suggests that Lipponen dies before Finland joins NATO, and rejoices that Lehtinen is "a hopeless" obese man too. Lehtinen's comment on the letter was "I can not reply to that. We are from different planets".
Roos wants Finland to resign from the eurozone.
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
) is a Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
sociologist and former President of the European Sociological Association
European Sociological Association
The European Sociological Association is an academic association of sociologists and a non-profit Europe-wide association made up of over 700 members.-History:...
. Currently, he is professor in social policy
Social policy
Social policy primarily refers to guidelines, principles, legislation and activities that affect the living conditions conducive to human welfare. Thus, social policy is that part of public policy that has to do with social issues...
at the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
.
Career
Roos was known as a communist. Roos supported the Warsaw Pact invasion of CzechoslovakiaWarsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
On the night of 20–21 August 1968, the Soviet Union and her main satellite states in the Warsaw Pact – Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic , Hungary and Poland – invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in order to halt Alexander Dubček's Prague Spring political liberalization...
.
Roos resigned from the Communist Party of Finland
Communist Party of Finland
The Communist Party of Finland was a communist political party in Finland. The SKP was a section of Comintern and illegal in Finland until 1944.SKP did not participate in any elections with its own name. Instead, front organisations were used...
in the early 1980s.
Roos studied in the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and taught at UCLA, University of Geneva
University of Geneva
The University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland.It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin, as a theological seminary and law school. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it...
, EHESS
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
.
His main research areas are: Evolutionary sociology, generations, especially the baby boomer
Baby boomer
A baby boomer is a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom and who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964. The term "baby boomer" is sometimes used in a cultural context. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve broad consensus of a precise definition, even...
s' generation, life stories and autobiographies, human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
in child protection, the social impact of mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s, intellectuals, well-being and ways of life in Finland in relation to social policy and social structure.
In the 1980s and 1990s he worked with the comparative use of the life story approach, in particular in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, the Baltic and Northern Europe
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
, and the question of men's life (and life stories) in Finland. He has participated in the organization of several autobiographical collections for the "ordinary people" and used this material in his work. His best known theoretical contribution is a typology of Finnish generations in the 20th century. Another is the concept of happiness barrier, which denotes the tendency to present one's life as much happier than it really is.
In 2002 Roos wanted to block Lasse Lehtinen
Lasse Lehtinen
Lasse Lehtinen is a Finnish politician, former Member of the Finnish Parliament and former Member of the European Parliament...
, a moderate SDP member, from receiving a doctorate and scorned him in media.
Recently (2006), he has started a Finnish project (with European comparative data) about the interactions between the baby boomer generation with both its parents and children. He has also become interested in theory of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
and evolutionary sociology, and has been President of the Darwin Society in Finland. He is also known as a supporter and defender of Tatu Vanhanen
Tatu Vanhanen
Tatu Vanhanen is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Tampere in Tampere, Finland...
and Richard Lynn
Richard Lynn
Richard Lynn is a British Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Ulster who is known for his views on racial and ethnic differences. Lynn argues that there are hereditary differences in intelligence based on race and sex....
's controversial research
IQ and Global Inequality
IQ and Global Inequality is a 2006 book by psychologist Richard Lynn and political scientist Tatu Vanhanen. IQ and Global Inequality is follow-up to their 2002 book IQ and the Wealth of Nations, an expansion of the argument that international differences in current economic development are due in...
on race and IQ.
He is also full member of the Finnish Academy of Sciences from 1995.
He has translated and introduced Pierre Bourdieu
Pierre Bourdieu
Pierre Bourdieu was a French sociologist, anthropologist, and philosopher.Starting from the role of economic capital for social positioning, Bourdieu pioneered investigative frameworks and terminologies such as cultural, social, and symbolic capital, and the concepts of habitus, field or location,...
's Questions de sociologie, into Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
.
He has published more than 200 scientific books and articles.
In 2007 Lasse Lehtinen
Lasse Lehtinen
Lasse Lehtinen is a Finnish politician, former Member of the Finnish Parliament and former Member of the European Parliament...
published a letter full of personal insults he received from Roos, which was noted by the media. In the private letter Roos states that he is happy for Lipponen
Paavo Lipponen
Paavo Tapio Lipponen is a Finnish politician and former reporter. He was Prime Minister of Finland from 1995 to 2003, and Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Finland from 1993 to 2005...
's bad health, suggests that Lipponen dies before Finland joins NATO, and rejoices that Lehtinen is "a hopeless" obese man too. Lehtinen's comment on the letter was "I can not reply to that. We are from different planets".
Roos wants Finland to resign from the eurozone.
Sources
- Kuka kukin on 2008. Otava 2008.
- Suomen Professorit (ed. by Leena Ellonen). Gummerus 2008