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JAANA HALLAMAA theologist 1958- Jaana Hallamaa has done research on various aspects of ethics. At the beginning of her career in the early 1980 s she was perplexed by the question of how the gospel of freedom turns into an instrument of oppression. She chose the South African Reformed Church for whites only and its racist theology as a research subject. "I wanted to learn to understand the oppressor and the oppressor's point of view, and see how religion and its dogma are turned into an ideology that works for political and economic interests". In recent years, Hallamaa has focussed on bioethics and social ethics. With the rapid development in the biosciences and biomedicine, we are faced with a whole new range of questions and challenges. Bioethics aims at finding sustainable ways, both from the point of view of humanity and the environment, of exploiting the achievements of research in the biosciences. The political and economic changes of the late 20th century force us to question whether Finland will be able to maintain and develop its welfare state as a member of the European Union in this world driven by market forces. What are the factors that have contributed to the establishment and maintenance of a society based on the feeling of responsibility for others? Interaction is an integral part of research work. Hallamaa has worked in European and Nordic research groups and has passed on her own research, as well as the research of others, in teaching and in textbooks - among other things, she has written textbooks for ethics and philosophy courses in the upper secondary school. In 1997 Jaana Hallamaa was chosen for the University of Helsinki Teaching Award.