Recently I took part in the NEXTEUK PhD Summer School on "What research agenda(s) for post-Brexit and post-Covid EU studies? that took place in June 2022 in Paris, at the Jean Monnet House in Bazoches and at ULIP in Paris. Being a British/EU member state dual national, the topic of the summer school was important to be on both a professional and personal level. I was particularly glad to learn that a group of 11 students would be participating in this project. On arrival, I was delighted to meet students with such a variety of backgrounds and with a research agenda that investigates current issues in European affairs. The broad range of disciplines allowed me to understand issues from a variety of different angles, with students presenting their research drawing from different academic disciplines such as International and European law, International Relations, Politics and Security Studies our private conversations, we were able to exchange views about our expertise and this allowed me to learn more about current issues.
Written by Alicja Prochniak, PhD student at the Institute for Diplomacy and International Governance at Loughborough University London.
Recently I took part in the NEXTEUK PhD Summer School on "What research agenda(s) for post-Brexit and post-Covid EU studies? that took place in June 2022 in Paris, at the Jean Monnet House in Bazoches and at ULIP in Paris. Being a British/EU member state dual national, the topic of the summer school was important to be on both a professional and personal level. I was particularly glad to learn that a group of 11 students would be participating in this project. On arrival, I was delighted to meet students with such a variety of backgrounds and with a research agenda that investigates current issues in European affairs. The broad range of disciplines allowed me to understand issues from a variety of different angles, with students presenting their research drawing from different academic disciplines such as International and European law, International Relations, Politics and Security Studies our private conversations, we were able to exchange views about our expertise and this allowed me to learn more about current issues. We were able to discuss the political situation in European countries where each of us live or study, thereby allowing us to share different perceptions and understanding of those events. The discussion about the rule of law in Europe and current energy and security crisis, how they are approached by individual states gave me broader understanding of those respective phenomenon. The subsequent lectures covered those topics in greater detail. The importance of historical memory and identities was also discussed extensively, how they are viewed and approached by disciplines of law and international politics. This cross disciplinary approach allowed me to look differently at the issues that I am currently researching.
Personally, for me, it was a significant educational experience. In private interactions, I was able to learn lots more about culture, traditions and approaches in different countries across the world. My research concentrates on the role and functions of political myths. Drawing from the critical theory approach, I am examining how political myths function together with discourses, narratives and how they enhance the effectiveness of carried messages. My investigation will help to understand how myths are functioning in the current political debate and how they impact foreign policy choices. My research mostly relates to two of the themes discussed during the Summer School, namely identity and sovereignty. Myths are an important element that ensure cohesion of the societies and the way how people see themselves among others. My research combines the use of a wide spectrum of academic concepts and theories. I also strives to find out how to I can incorporate the outcomes of my investigation into broader foreign policy analysis and conflict analysis.
I am a third-year PhD student (start date October 2019) and due to the COVID pandemic, it was my first opportunity to share my research face to face among other PhD students as well as established academics from the universities and institutions outside my university. Previously, when taking part in online conferences and Summer Schools, they were unable to offer the unique networking and learning opportunities presented by face-to-face events.
I especially enjoyed the chosen venue of the NEXTEUK Summer School. We had an opportunity to visit a Jean Monet House and the historic village of Houjarray. The scenery of the event and the surrounding area helped me to imagine the period where a united Europe wasn’t a choice, but a necessity. We were presented with a great opportunity to visit places important to European history and culture and learn more about people associated with the creation of the European Union, and ideals of that time – understanding more about the atmosphere back then. I was so deeply moved by the events that, in my free time, I wanted to discover even more information about Jean Monet and his work. Unfortunately, few documentaries, especially in English, are available online. Perhaps one day the European Parliament will decide to commission a documentary or a movie about Jean Monet's work and life. It would be a very interesting film; the content has all the necessary elements of the best film productions in history thus far - thriller, political drama, and an unusual love story. All these elements could be found in Jean Monet's life and work. The visit and atmosphere of the school inspired me to think about the European Union in a different light and to spend more time searching about the roots of this project. I also met great people at the museum where I learned a lot through more informal conversations as well as in the official lectures.
The NEXTEUK Summer School was a great and intensive experience with many interesting types of research and topics being presented. I became truly motivated by listening to so many different people that I got many new ideas for new research subjects and articles that I could start to prepare. Moreover, the Summer School also gave me an opportunity to learn more about future opportunities and development for young researchers. I wasn’t aware of a number of opportunities available for graduates in the structures of the European Parliament and especially the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS). The posts are regularly advertised on the website. The school helped me to think differently about my work as a researcher.
I was especially inspired by the experience in the Europa Experience venue which we attended with the whole group. This interactive group exercise was very helpful to understand the work of the European Union Parliament. That is a great venue for school trips and to help young people to learn more about the work of the EU, the difficulties they face, everyday pressures and tensions in the policymaking process. I aim to stay in academia and one day I would definitely like to teach at university level. I think the Europa Experience is a great place to visit with a group of students as it has all the facilities and settings to show people the work of Parliament and how decisions at the European level are made.