Carol Cairney

Shubhankar Paul - EUROSUD Research Track at the LUISS Guido Carli University

I’m Shubhankar Paul and I’m a student of the EUROSUD Cohort 2021-23 from India, with a background in European Studies and International Relations. I had the chance to attend my second semester of the programme in Athens and I am currently in Rome for my third mobility at LUISS Guido Carli University. For me, EUROSUD and its research track was a natural extension of my studies about Europe, and I was particularly attracted to the components of the coursework on migration: I represent the third generation in a twice-migrated family that migrated from Pakistan to India in the late 1940s, and later internally migrated across the linguistically and culturally diverse states of India, over the next few decades.

While being in the research track and anticipating its academic demands, I always found myself torn between the public policy side of migration and the ethnographic and anthropological side of migration. For my thesis, I have attempted to find a middle ground between my research interests, and I am scheduled to begin work on my master’s thesis on acculturation strategies of South Asian migrants in Italy and Greece this upcoming semester.

I chose Luiss Guido Carli University for my third mobility because I was attracted to the coursework on Migration Politics in the Mediterranean region, and rightly so. Prof. Stefania Panebianco helped us learn hands-on multilateralism and diplomacy with the help of a two-day simulation exercise. I must mention that this interest in migration was instilled in my second semester in Athens while studying the coursework on migration with Prof. Angeliki Dimitriadi. As well as the courses themselves at LUISS that I learned a lot from – Business Environment in the Mediterranean region and History of European Integration to name a few – I greatly benefitted from the learning infrastructure at LUISS. The infrastructure is built to help students function efficiently: well-lit and equipped reading rooms, computer rooms, libraries, a 24-hour canteen and a beautiful campus with intriguing architecture, all serve as icing on the cake.

At LUISS, you also get the opportunity to socialise with the academic elites and professionals from the disciplines of politics, diplomacy, law and journalism – this greatly enhances the socio-cultural capital of the students in my opinion.

I also feel a certain sense of pleasure and responsibility to be studying what I do because migrants and migration will determine the future of not only the affairs of Europe, but also the rest of the world. As a student from the Global South with research interests in migrants’ lives, I would urge more students to pursue this discipline – the academic output on migrants from particularly South Asia in South Europe, is disproportionately understudied, in my opinion, when examined with respect to the migrant population they represent in south European countries. I am grateful to EUROSUD and LUISS faculties for their efforts to contribute to more academic output in this understudied field and at the same time, helping me, as a post-graduate student to accurately identify the intersection of my broader research interests in European studies and my associated identity as a Global South student from South Asia.

Shubhankar Paul

by Carol Cairney

Anne Jensen Sand - EUROSUD Research Track at the Aix-Marseille Université!

Hi everybody!

My name is Anne, and I am a Danish master’s student of EUROSUD with a background in journalism. I have for some time wanted to add an academic specialization to my more practical profile. When I saw that the EUROSUD master existed, this was the perfect option for me, as it allowed me to dig into one of my all-time favourite subjects - Southern Europe - and combine it with in-depth research, particularly when doing the dissertation in the fourth and final semester.

Wanting to improve my French, I therefore chose to spend my third and fourth mobility at Aix-Marseille Université as a student on their research track. As most people choose the professional track, we were the only 2 EUROSUD students on the research track, and the only 6 French students. This made teaching very intense, but it was also a privilege having so few of us in class, as it made it easier for everyone to engage in discussions. We had classes on methodology, nationalism, religion, migration, borders, political transitions, cultural and collective memory in South Europe, with some classes specifically focused on the Balkans. We also had a French language course and one compulsory language class, which in my case was Italian.

As our schedule was almost entirely different from the one that professional track students follow, and the fact that they often had classes at another facility, we unfortunately didn’t see the other EUROSUD students at the university, unless we bumped into each other at the library or at lunch at the university cafeteria. However, this was made up for in the evenings or weekends, since I lived in a university dorm with four other EUROSUD students.

I never doubted that I wanted to choose the research track, and this didn’t change while being in Aix-en-Provence. Furthermore, if you’re really keen on an internship, it’s possible to do that on a part-time basis while also writing the dissertation. However, this requires a great amount of discipline. I have chosen to focus solely on the dissertation and possibly hand it in in June instead of September, and I am actually looking forward to it. After having moved around and gotten used to new universities, subjects and classes on a half-yearly basis, it is going to be interesting to get the time to really dig into one subject, in my case left-wing populism. If you are going to Aix and have any questions, feel free to reach out!

Anne Jensen Sand

by Carol Cairney

Alaa Amro - Future EUROSUD Student Entrepreneur?

On the 24th of November, I had the opportunity to meet and network with a group of 12 Austrians in Bethlehem, Palestine. Proudly, my startup proposal on food waste management in the city of Hebron was selected for the next level.

The U-Solve project focuses on the major challenges that cities in the Euro-Mediterranean region, including Cyprus, Italy, and Greece, as well as Egypt, Palestine, and Jordan. The project supports us in our efforts to make our cities sustainable, livable, and resilient over the long term. As well as assuring potential entrepreneurs, especially young people, that they can turn ideas into actual businesses.

As a EUROSUD student at the Autonomous University of Madrid, a course on public policy making inspired me to apply for this project, and to develop policy proposals that promote entrepreneurship as a tool for sustainable development in urban areas, with direct participation from public institutions throughout the process.

I am grateful for my ongoing journey with EUROSUD, which provides me with an incredible opportunity to learn and grow through the Career Development Fund that supported me to attend the event.

By Alaa Amro

by Carol Cairney

Ayaulym Participates in COY17 in Sharm El Sheikh

I had the honour to represent Kazakhstan at the 17th UN Youth Conference on Climate Change (COY17), held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, where young people from all over the world came together with one goal – to make the planet a better place for all of us.

Young changemakers from 140 countries were brought together to exchange ideas and share experiences on how they are working on this issue in their countries and communities with the aim of Saving the Earth on Nov. 2-4.

In addition, the conference allowed participants to enter a multinational environment through intercultural exchange, thus creating an open space for the expression of ideas and the exchange of culture. We have seen that the world gets smaller and cozier when we peacefully gather and discuss what is really important for young people who demand action, not promises or words.

by Carol Cairney