Archive 2010
Sara Clavero and Yvonne Galligan published Gender Equality in the European Union: Lessons for Democracy? in the widely-indexed RECON paper series this month. In it they analyse the gendered nature of democratic decision-making in the EU. They outline a theoretical model of democracy that looks at public decision-making processes through a gender lens and examine two instances of democratic decision-making relevant to gender equality, the Goods and Services Directive and the Recast Equality Directive.
Further information on the RECON project is at www.reconproject.eu
Irish people, on October 22, voted John Hume as ‘Ireland’s Greatest’ public figure in RTE’s ‘Ireland’s Greatest’ television documentary series. The chief academic adviser to RTE in the making of the Hume documentary was Dr Peter McLoughlin of QUB’s School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy (PISP) . Dr McLoughlin’s seminal analysis of the role of Hume in Irish history – ‘John Hume and the Revision of Irish Nationalism’ – was recently published by Manchester University Press.
Professor Richard English, Head of School, said: ‘Dr McLoughlin’s expertise, as manifested in his top quality publications on John Hume, has fed constructively into RTE’s popular history series in a perfect example of ‘academic impact’. This is a very significant addition to the ‘impact’ element of the School’s impending REF contribution.’
Dr McLoughlin said that ‘the fact that Hume beat other contenders in the series such as Mary Robinson, James Connolly and Michael Collins shows the widespread popular appreciation of the contribution of Hume to the politics of the island’.
Education Secretary Michael Gove today appointed the cross-bench peer Lord Paul Bew (Professor of Politics in PISP) to chair the external review into Key Stage 2 testing, assessment and accountability.
Lord Bew will lead a small review panel consisting of two education experts, a number of primary head teachers, and one secondary school head. The panel is due to launch a 12-week call for evidence, following which it will publish a progress report summarising the evidence gathered. The panel will publish its final report by June 2011.
It will look at a number of issues, including:
- How best to ensure that schools are properly accountable to pupils, parents and the taxpayer for the achievement and progress of every child, on the basis of objective and accurate assessments.
- How to ensure that parents have good quality information on the progress of their children and the success of schools.
- How to avoid, as far as possible, the risk of perverse incentives, over-rehearsal and reduced focus on productive learning.
- How to ensure that performance information is used and interpreted appropriately within the accountability system by other agencies, increasing transparency and preserving accountability to parents, pupils and the taxpayer, while avoiding the risk of crude and narrow judgements being made.
Education Secretary Michael Gove has acknowledged that the current system can be improved to ensure that concerns – such as children being “drilled” at the expense of broad learning – are overcome while the information parents want is still provided.
Michael Gove said:
“We know parents support clear, rigorous and transparent testing at the end of primary school, and the OECD has concluded that external accountability is a key driver of improvement in education and particularly important for the least advantaged. So we must continue to allow parents to know how their local primary schools are performing.
“Raising standards and narrowing gaps are the central goals of the Government’s education policy. It is not our intention that the accountability system should be punitive or unfair to schools working in difficult circumstances but it must be able to identify and tackle cases of sustained under-performance.
“Equally I recognise concerns from heads and teachers about the current system. That is why I have ordered a review – to see whether there is a better way to give parents the information they want and hold schools to account, while overcoming the concerns.
“I am delighted that Lord Bew, a hugely experienced, cross-bench peer, has agreed to lead the review, and I look forward to considering the panel’s findings next year.”
The Education Secretary also announced today new arrangements for delivering national curriculum tests and assessments following the abolition of the QCDA. Working within the DfE, an executive agency will oversee statutory tests and assessments for children up to 14. Its exact remit will be confirmed following consideration of the recommendations of Lord Bew’s review.
Michael Gove said:
“It is essential that the statutory assessment arrangements put in place following our review, are delivered in a timely and effective way. It is right that accountability for ensuring this rests with Ministers, and that is why I am establishing an executive agency within my Department that will be accountable to me for the secure delivery of its functions.
“As the independent regulator, Ofqual will continue to have an important role, as it does now, in keeping under review the agency’s functions relating to national curriculum tests and assessments.”
Notes to editors
1. Lord Bew is a cross-bench peer, professor of Irish Politics at Queen's University, Belfast, and a Member of Royal Irish Academy (MRIA). He was a historical adviser to the Saville Inquiry from 1998 to 2001.
2. The membership of the panel in full is:
Lord Bew Chairman
Miriam Rosen Former Executive Director, Ofsted
Ruth Miskin Founder, Read-Write Inc. and former primary head teacher
Greg Wallace Headteacher, Woodberry Down Community Primary School, Hackney.
Helen Clegg Headteacher, Shiremoor Primary School, North Tyneside
Kate Dethridge Headteacher, Churchend Primary School, Reading.
Lubna Khan Headteacher, Berrymede Junior School, Ealing
Tim Sherriff Headteacher, Westfield Community School, Wigan
Sally Coates Principal, Burlington Danes Academy, West London.
* Representatives of Ofsted and Ofqual will act as observers.
PISP Professors Adrian Guelke and Beverley Milton-Edwards, along with PhD candidate Katie Taylor will be giving plenary speeches and papers at the EXCEPS Conference on Ethno-Politics in the Globalized World at University of Exeter 27-30 June 2010. Professor Guelke will be addressing the theme of “Approaches to Control of Ethnic Conflict in the post-Cold War World.” Professor Milton-Edwards, giving the Plenary on the Contemporary Middle East will speak about “Whither? The Ethno and National in the Middle East.” PhD candidate Katie Taylor will deliver a paper entitled: “The identity affiliations of Israel’s Arab citizens and their rebellious potential”.
Dr Lee McGowan has been awarded a British Academy Small Research Grant for a project that focuses on the activities and strategies of the British National Party and the `Alliance of European National Movements’ within the European Parliament.
The British National Party (BNP) became the first ever far right party from the UK to win representation in the European Parliament when two of its members were elected in June 2009. The BNP advocates the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union but now finds itself sitting in one of the main EU institutions. It has adopted a proactive role and sought to establish closer links with other members of the far right within the EP (including the French National Front and Jobbik – the movement for a better Hungary) and further beyond (in Belgium, Italy and Sweden). The BNP was instrumental in forming the ‘Alliance of European National Movements’ in October 2009. This Alliance can be read as the latest attempt to co-ordinate the activities of the far right in Europe and aims to establish a Europe of ‘like-minded parties’ and ‘free, independent and equal nations’. It rejects the idea of a ‘European superstate’ and sees itself very much as the defender of European values from such threats as terrorism and financial imperialism, the promoter of family friendly policies and the advocate of Christian values. This project focuses primarily on the activities and the ‘vision’ of this alliance with special reference given to the British National Party. This project seeks to explain the workings of the Alliance, its objectives and how well it works. It also seeks to analyse how other far right groups (such as the Austrian Freedom Party and the German National Democrats) have reacted to the Alliance and to what extent the BNP is becoming Europeanized.
Participants in the ’Group Agents?’ workshop (l-r) Dr Kai Spiekermann (LSE), Dr Fabienne Peter (Warwick), & Prof. Philip Pettit (Princeton) pictured with the Dean of the Faculty of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Shane O’Neill following Professor Pettit’s public lecture, ‘We the People’ on June 10th 2010. Professor Pettit, who graduated from Queen’s with PhD in philosophy in 1970, is Laurence S. Rockefeller Professor of Politics and Human Values at the University of Princeton, and currently Visiting Professor at the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy
Dr Stefan Andreasson has been awarded a British Academy Small Research Grant for a project entitled ‘Anglo-American Conservatism and African Development’.
The project entails a comparative case study of British and American conservatism and conservative party politics, charting its evolution from the Thatcher and Reagan governments in the 1980s to the Bush government and Cameron's Conservative Party opposition and new coalition government in the 2000s to the present. It will examine how conservative political thought has influenced government thinking on international development, and what has been the concrete impact of conservative parties and actors on development policies towards Africa. Elite interviews with key actors in conservative politics and policy-making institutions in Washington and London, and key actors in the EU's relations with Africa in Brussels, will form the empirical basis for understanding how post-Cold War conservatism in Britain and America has been transformed and conservative political party approaches to Africa reshaped.
Dr McCall delivering a lecture at Jadavpur University April 2010
Professor English speaking at Modern High School, Kolkata, November 2008
The School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy (PISP) is keen to help promote links between Queen’s and universities in India. To this end, staff and research students have made a number of visits to promote our work and develop research links.
In April 2010 Dr Cathal McCall visited Delhi and Kolkata to deliver lectures on borders and conflict transformation at JNU (Centre for the Study of Law and Governance), Jadavpur University (Dept. of International Relations) and Calcutta University (Institute of Foreign Policy Studies). He also held an informal hour-long seminar with final year Modern High School pupils on issues relating to identity and gender in India and Europe, as well as the academic provision of the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy and Queen’s, and life in Ireland generally.
In 2010 research student Christine Wilson spent a month in India as part of the PMI 2 scheme. Christine conducted research at Madras Christian College (MCC) on media representations of female terrorists within the LTTE, the Provisional IRA and the Chechen rebel movement. While at MCC Christine worked on newspaper archives and consulted literature on the Sri Lankan crisis in the MCC’s Connemara library. She also taught in the College. Christine found MCC colleagues to be extremely helpful for her research and benefitted greatly from the rich cultural experience during her stay.
In November 2008 Professor Richard English visited Kolkata, to deliver Lectures at Jadavpur University and at the American Cultural Center. He also visited Modern High School, where he spoke to an audience of pupils on the subject of Terrorism and Northern Irish Politics.
Further visits are planned and invitations have been extended to colleagues in India to come to Queen’s and present seminars on their research
19 November 2010, Canada Room, Lanyon Building
The Contemporary Irish Political History Research Cluster, under the auspices of the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy of Queen's University, Belfast, is pleased to announce a one-day conference on the theme of Ulster Loyalism to take place on 19 November 2010. The event will primarily provide an opportunity for further debate on issues related to dealing with the legacy of the conflict, but by combining the perspectives of academic researchers with community representatives is intended also to reinforce academia's critical engagement with stakeholder organisations, to contribute to ongoing attempts to transfer knowledge and expertise between these sectors, and to provide networking opportunities to facilitate both academic and community-based work. Moreover, it is hoped that through such events, the research agenda of academic institutions committed to evaluating the history and socio-political landscape of Northern Ireland can come to reflect the challenges faced by loyalist communities in the post-conflict context. It is anticipated this event will be relevant to academics and post-graduates with an interest in contemporary Irish politics and history, as well as broader issues connected to conflict transformation and peace-building. If you are interested in attending this event and would like more details, please contact any of the co-organisers, Richard Reed (rreed01@qub.ac.uk), Joanna Felo (jfelo01@qub.ac.uk) or Sean Brennan (jbrennan07@qub.ac.uk) for further information.
The programme is available here and a poster is available here
Francis Campbell, a former graduate of the School of Politics, International Studies & Philosophy, is one of this year’s VIP guests in the “Out to Lunch with William Crawley" series, hosted by the Queen’s Welcome Centre. The author and broadcaster, William Crawley, interviews leading figures from Ireland’s cultural, political and academic scene during lunch in the historic Great Hall of the University. The event takes place on the 17 November at 12.30 – 2.30 pm and tickets are available from the Welcome Centre.
Francis Campbell, HM Ambassador to the Holy See, was born in 1970 and was appointed British Ambassador to the Holy See in December 2005. He was the subject of a recent BBC NI documentary series “Our Man in the Vatican” and will take up a new post at the end of this year, having played a key role in the planning and organisation of the Pope’s historic state visit to England and Scotland in September 2010. He is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast, the University of Leuven (Belgium)) and the University of Pennsylvania. He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997, and worked as Private Secretary and Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister (1999-2003). He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Queen’s University Belfast in 2009.
On 25 October 2010 a one-day workshop on conflict and conflict transformation was held in the School for a visiting delegation of journalists from Nagaland, India. It was part of a visit co-ordinated by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Speakers included: Dr Cathal McCall and Mr Eamonn Mallie (journalist and author on Irish affairs) on ‘The Media and Conflict in Northern Ireland’; Professor Beverley Milton-Edwards on ‘Talking to Hamas’; Professor Rick Wilford on ‘Northern Ireland and the Executive’; Dr Margaret O’Callaghan on ‘Commemoration in Ireland’; and Dr Peter McLaughlin on ‘‘Using the Media to Achieve Political Progress in Northern Ireland’. The journalists from Nagaland included: Mr Mainak De; Ms Tiamerenla Monalisa Changkija; Ms Vishü Rita Krocha; Ms Vingumeno Bambi Kevichusa; Mr Kosak Temjen Jamir; Ms Dzuvinuo Theunuo; Ms Asangla Imsong; Mr Meyikokba; Mr Geoffrey Yaden; and Mr Abu Metha. There was lively discussion and debate among speakers and delegates throughout the day, Delegates and speakers agreed that it had been a very interesting and worthwhile experience with many parallels drawn between Northern Ireland and Nagaland. Delegates are pictured with the President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Gregson, Dr Satish Kumar, Director of the Queen’s India Initiative, and Dr Cathal McCall, the School’s India Initiative co-ordinator.
The Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. Nick Clegg, today visited Queen's University Belfast – the Times Higher Education Entrepreneurial University of the Year – as part of his two-day visit to Northern Ireland.
The highlight of Mr Clegg’s visit was a ‘town hall’ question-and-answer session with students and staff from Queen’s School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy in the University’s Great Hall.
Speaking about the historic visit, the University’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Gregson, said: “Queen’s is honoured to welcome the Deputy Prime Minister to our campus. Mr Clegg’s visit could hardly be more timely, coming during a period when universities, their vital role in society and their funding, are never far from the headlines.”
Professor Gregson also welcomed the recent comments by Business Secretary Vince Cable, in which he highlighted the need for highly-qualified graduates to support the knowledge economy.
He said: “Queen’s is a magnet for inward investment and a leader in enterprise and innovation, as recognised by the prestigious title of Entrepreneurial University of the Year. The quality of our graduates, and their loyalty to Northern Ireland, is a strong factor in attracting international companies to the region, further underpinning economic growth.”
The Minister for Employment and Learning, Sir Reg Empey, attended the event. Speaking afterwards, he said: "This was an excellent opportunity for Queen's students to question our Deputy Prime Minister on the Government's future plans for Higher Education provision.”
"These are interesting and challenging times for Higher Education, with the forthcoming publication of the Browne Review and announcements on the Comprehensive Spending Review. Amidst the challenges, I trust colleagues in the Executive and Assembly will join with me in working to maintain vibrant and world-class Higher Education provision in Northern Ireland."
After the visit, Professor Gregson commented that “this opportunity showcased the best of Queen’s – the engagement of PISP staff and students in an energetic and challenging Q&A was excellent and impressed both the Deputy Prime Minister and our other guests. I hope too that it provided food for intellectual thought amongst our staff and students."
The QTV news story on the Deputy Prime Minister's visit to Queens is available here
It is with great sadness that Politics, International Studies and Philosophy announces the death of our colleague, Professor James McEvoy who passed away on 2 October 2010. James was Professor of Scholastic Philosophy until his retirement in 2008.
Obituary by Professor Cynthia Macdonald
Three professors from the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy are speaking at talks during the Belfast Festival at Queens in October 2010.
Professor Beverley Milton-Edwards and Professor Avi Shlaim (University of Oxford) are giving a talk on ‘Conflict in the Middle East’ on Monday 18 October at 6.30 pm in the Crescent Arts Centre .
The event information and booking details are available at http://www.belfastfestival.com/ByCategory/EventDetails/?guid=qub_event_203023.
Professor Paul Bew and Professor Graham Walker will feature in a panel discussion at the Festival on 25th October at 6.30 pm in the Elmwood Hall, on ‘The Legacy of Edward Carson’. The event marks the 75th anniversary of the death of Edward Carson and his burial in St. Anne’s Cathedral.
The event information and booking details are available at http://www.belfastfestival.com/ByDate/EventDetails/?guid=qub_event_203025.
Mr. David Ford, Minister for Justice in the Northern Ireland Government, along with Prof. Shane O’Neill, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and the conference organisers, PhD students Chris Hazzard and Matthew Okot
On Friday 17th-Saturday 18th September, the School hosted the annual Political Studies Association of Ireland postgraduate conference. Young scholars from both parts of Ireland, from Europe, and even from the USA travelled to give papers at the meeting, which had as its overall theme: ‘Political Transformation in Post-Conflict Societies’.
In keeping with this theme, the School was particularly privileged to host the Minister for Justice in the Northern Ireland Government, Mr. David Ford, MLA, who acted as guest speaker at the conference. Mr. Ford’s talk, entitled ‘Justice in a Devolved Administration’, provided particularly useful insights into Northern Ireland own’s transformation as a post-conflict society. Indeed, the creation Mr. Ford’s department in April of this year formed part of the process which has allowed a stable power-sharing government to be maintained in Northern Ireland, and suggests a growing consensus in the region on issues of policing and justice, where once these matters provoked extreme division. Whilst Mr. Ford suggested that there was still some way to go before Northern Ireland could claim to have transcended communal divisions, his talk generated enthusiastic discussion between himself and the audience of post-graduates and School staff members.
L to R, standing: Kathleen Lynch, TD; Maire Hoctor TD, Sandra McAvoy UCC, Gemma Hussey former TD, Fiona Buckley QUB Seated: Senators Mary White and Ivana Bacik
The tour began on Friday 13th August with Drs. Ellis and Barry giving a master class to Planning and Architecture Masters students and evening presentations on climate change, planning and energy security and peak oil in Ahmadabad to CEPT University in state of Gujarat. Then on the 14th the pair were off to the city of Baroda (also in Gujarat) to talk at an Institute of Indian Designers and British Council organised event.
On the 16-17th August, Geraint Ellis, John Barry, Bernard Smith and Robin Curry gave presentations at a two day conference organised by QUB, ‘Responding to Climate Change: UK-India Perspectives’. This British Council and Institute for a Sustainable World sponsored conference was also sponsored and included academics from the University of Pune, the Indian Institute of Human Settlements (IIHS), IIT Delhi, the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi (SPA) and the Centre for Science and Environment.
Finally on 19th August Dr. Ellis gave presentations in the city of Chandigarh also sponsored by the British Council.
Dr. Geraint Ellis, Senior Lectures in the School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering and the QUB coordinator of the visit said “This was an extremely successful event and many potential researcher partners, research projects and other ways for the Institute for a Sustainable World and its affiliated research groups to establish firm links with Indian researchers and universities. Climate change and related issues of energy, planning and sustainability are global issues and t here is much mutual learning and exchange of ideas to be had between QUB and India scholars, universities and policy-makers”.
Dr Barry, Associate Director of the Institute for a Sustainable World, said, “We fully expect this trip to be the first of many and we are already in discussions with the British Council in India about further events. We will also follow up with the researchers and research groups we met to explore ways of establishing links, through mutual staff and student exchanges, joint projects and short courses. While the schedule was full it was an extremely fruitful trip and we all look forward to returning to India in the near future and to seeing the initial links made on this trip deepened and bearing fruit”.
Dr Peter McLoughlin, Leverhulme Research Fellow and soon-to-be Lecturer with the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy, has published his first book with Manchester University Press. Entitled John Hume and the Revision of Irish Nationalism, the book explores the vital role played by the former SDLP leader in helping both to reformulate Irish nationalist ideology, and draw violent republicanism into democratic politics. In doing so, it shows Hume to be one of the chief architects of the Northern Ireland peace process, and a key figure in the making of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Dr McLoughlin is also acting as a consultant to RTÉ for a forthcoming documentary on Hume.
Benjamin Jarvis
Michail Peramatzis
The School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy is delighted to announce the appointment of two new Lecturers in Philosophy, Dr Benjamin Jarvis and Dr Michail Peramatzis. Both will be joining the School on 1 August 2010 and we are excited to welcome them to the School.
Benjamin Jarvis I received my Ph.D. in philosophy in 2010 from Brown University. Harvard University awarded me an A.B in philosophy in 2002. I spent the fall of 2009 as an invited postdoctoral researcher at Arché Research Centre, the University of St. Andrews, and visited the University of California, Irvine during the spring of 2010. My primary areas of interest include philosophy of mind and language, philosophical logic, and epistemology. My dissertation concerned the nature of intentionality with attention to “deflationary” theories of mental content. In addition to the nature of intentionality, my current research engages with issues in philosophical methodology.
Michail M. Peramatzis I finished my BA in Philosophy and Classics at the University of Athens, Greece, in 1997, and from 2002 until 2006 I studied at Christ Church, Oxford University, for my DPhil. under the supervision of Prof. David Charles (Oriel College). My thesis focused on issues such as whether Aristotelian forms are universal or particular, the notion of ontological priority in Aristotle and our knowledge of particular objects. Towards the end of my studies I secured a four-year post-doctoral research position at Christ Church as a Junior Research Fellow. During my fellowship I published articles on Aristotle’s notion of Priority in Substance and his views of essence and predication. At the same time, I worked on a monograph entitled Priority in Aristotle’s Metaphysics, forthcoming with Oxford University Press.
The School is very sad to note the death of the distinguished historian Peter Hart, who worked as a Research Fellow in the School during 1997-8 and subsequently for three years in the School of History at QUB. Peter’s many publications included the influential books The IRA and its Enemies (1998), The IRA at War (2003) and Mick: The Real Michael Collins (2005). Since 2002 Peter had held the Canada Research Chair of Irish Studies at Memorial University, Newfoundland. He died, aged 46, on 22 July 2010, after a brain haemhorrhage, and will be missed by his friends in the School and beyond.
The graduation day for the PISP class of 2010, was as ever, a memorable and joyous occasion for all involved. Please click on this link for photographs of the graduating class and some of the prize winners.
The new ISI journal rankings released this week show that two of the journals edited from the School rank among the top 50 politics journals in the world. Environmental Politics, co-edited by John Barry, was ranked 29th. The International Political Science Review, co-edited by Yvonne Galligan came in at 48 of 112 over a five-year period. Both journals improved on their Impact Factor (IF) for 2009– that all-important score for world-class research publications. Environmental Politics publishes leading research on green, environment, and sustainability politics. The International Political Science Review, which celebrated 30 years of publication in 2009, attracts outstanding scholarship from all fields of political science.
Welcoming the ISI ranking, Dr John Barry said: “Environmental Politics has established itself as the leading international journal on the political, political and normative dimensions of environmental issues such as climate change, the green movement and governance for sustainable development. I have been associated with the journal since its founding in the early 1990s and since 2007 as co-editor. That the journal is ranked 29th in Political Science and 33rd of 66 in Environmental Studies as given by the 2010 Thomson Reuters, 2009 Journal Citation Reports is a fantastic achievement for those scholars worldwide, the editorial team and our publisher Taylor and Francis, who together have produced a world-class journal”.
Professor Yvonne Galligan added: “The IPSR has gone from strength to strength in recent years thanks to our supportive publications team in Sage, our dedicated peer reviewers and of course, our outstanding authors. It is a pleasure to work with these talented scholars from diverse cultures and backgrounds. It is my privilege to bring their world-class research to the attention of the global political science community. ”
Head of School, Professor Richard English, commenting on the success remarked: “For a School to celebrate having two of the top 50 journals in the world under its auspices is a rare event. It illustrates the commitment of the School and University to the standards of international scholarship. I wish to congratulate Dr. John Barry and Professor Yvonne Galligan for their tremendous dedication to the scholarly community through their fine editorship of these outstanding journals”.
To know more about these world-class journals, please go to
www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/09644016.asp
for Environmental Politics and to
for the International Political Science Review
Andrew Baker is delivering a paper “Financial Booms, Crisis Politics and Macroprudential Regulation: The Political Economy of an Ideational Shift,” in an Agora Workshop on Global Knowledge Networks at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island on 21 and 22 June. The workshop uses the Brown seminar method in which, the author of the paper listens while two discussants provide précis of the paper, before responding. Other participants include Cornel Ban Brown University, Mark Blyth Brown University, John Campbell Dartmouth College, Stephen Nelson Northwestern University, Abe Newman Georgetown University, Len Seabrooke Warwick University, Ove Kaj Pedersen Copenhagen Business School, Tal Sadeh University of Tel Aviv, Diane Stone, University of Warwick, Wes Widimaier, University of Griffith, Ole Jacob Sending, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Kate Weaver University of Texas at Austin, Eleni Tsingou University of Warwick.
Megan Wilson has just published a newspaper article sharing her experiences from Northern Ireland as an exchange student at Queen’s University.
For more information visit
The Political Studies Association of Ireland invites you to its annual post-graduate conference, taking place at the School of Politics, International Studies, and Philosophy, Queen’s University Belfast, Friday 17–Saturday 18 September 2010. The theme for this year’s conference is: ‘Political Transformation in Post-Conflict Societies’.
Programme details available here.
There is no conference fee but anyone wishing to attend must register their interest in advance with the conference’s co-organiser, Matthew Okot, at mokot01@qub.ac.uk
Registration for the conference will take place on the first floor of the Queen’s Welcome Centre, located in the Lanyon Building.
The conference is kindly supported by the School’s Contemporary Irish Political History Cluster and the PSAI.
Pictured at the recent conference in honour of Professor David Miller of Carnegie-Melon University Pittsburgh are ( left to right ): Colin Kidd, Ian McBride, David Miller, Graham Walker
The Irish Politics Cluster in conjunction with King's College London School of History will be holding a one-day conference on 21 May in honour of distinguished scholar Professor David W. Miller ( Carnegie Mellon University, USA ), author of 'Queen's Rebels' (1978) and many other studies in modern Irish history. Speakers include Professor Miller himself, Professor Colin Kidd ( University of Glasgow), Professor Sean Connolly ( QUB ) and Dr. Ian McBride ( KCL ). All welcome. Venue: Institute of Irish Studies, 63 University Road, 9am to 4pm.
The full story of Islamic resistance movement Hamas has been uncovered in a new book co-authored by a Queen’s University Belfast academic.
HAMAS: The Islamic Resistance Movement is written by Queen’s politics Professor Beverley Milton-Edwards, along with Stephen Farrell a New York Times Foreign Correspondent’ who runs the NYTs At War blog http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com
Professor Milton-Edwards is an internationally recognised expert in the field of religious extremism, political violence and terrorism. She leads Queen’s master’s degree course in Violence, Terrorism and Security at the University’s School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy.
Professor Milton-Edwards said: “Declared a terrorist menace yet elected to government in a free election, Hamas now stands as the most important Sunni Islamist group in the Middle East. But how did Hamas grow to be so powerful? Who supports it? And what is its future? This book provides an essential insight into the movement and answers these questions.”
Professor Milton-Edwards has spent two decades researching Hamas from the movement’s Palestinian heartland. Together with Stephen Farrell, she has gained unrivalled access to the world of Islamic resistance and radical Islam in
She said: “Drawing on our frontline experiences of recent events, access to secret documents from the western intelligence community and interviews with leaders, militants, and commanders of Hamas' armed battalions, this book reveals the full story of Hamas and the future of political Islam in the Middle East.
Professor Pettit will be participating in a workshop on ‘Group Agency’ at the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy on June 10, from 11.00 pm. Contact c.mcbride@qub.ac.uk for further details.
Energy Descent Planning and the Transition Towns Movement
This project will be co-supervised by Dr. John Barry (Politics) and Dr. Geraint Ellis (Planning).
Information available here
During April 2010 Dr Cathal McCall visited a number of universities and schools in New Delhi and Kolkata including: Jawaharlal Nehru University (Centre for the Study of Law and Governance); Jadavpur University (Department of International Relations); Calcutta University (Institute of Foreign Policy Studies); and the Modern High School, Kolkata. Dr McCall gave a lecture on borders and conflict transformation in each university and talked about the academic provision of the School and about Queen’s. Possible research links were discussed with senior colleagues and invitations were extended to come to the School and present a seminar on their area of expertise. Moreover, a number of students expressed an interest in coming to Queen’s to pursue their studies. At the Modern High School Dr McCall held a lively interactive seminar with Class XI and XII students on issues relating to identity and gender in India and Europe, as well as academic life at Queen’s and in Ireland generally. Teachers and pupils expressed a keen interest in coming to Queen’s for a 2-3 week summer school.
Cleaver Elliott, Deputy Clerk of the Senate, Prof Galligan and Dr. Rosemary Laing, Clerk of the Senate
Professor Yvonne Galligan is currently a visiting fellow at the School of Politics and International Relations, College of Arts and Social Sciences at the Australian National University. On Friday 23 April she provided a talk ‘Thinking about Gender and Democracy’ as part of the Senate Occasional Lecture series in the Australian Parliament.
The talk focused on drawing lessons from Europe, and in particular on how gender fares under conditions of multi-level governance in the European Union. The lecture deliberated on what gender democracy tells us about parliamentary decision-making. It highlighted what needs attention if gender is to form an integral part of democratic politics.
Professor Galligan is the founding Director of the Centre for the Advancement of Women in Politics, Director of Research (Governance and Public Policy) and Director of the University's Gender Initiative at Queen's University, Belfast.
The focus of the first seminar was on relations between the UK and Ireland with the discussion exploring opportunities for and the constraints on future cooperation.
The second seminar drew on the Ambassador’s experiences from previous postings in Brussels and focused on current challenges facing the European Union particularly regarding its international role and the new structures provided for by the Treaty of Lisbon.
The visit was hosted and the seminars organized by Dr. David Phinnemore.
Professor Rick Wilford will be the resident expert for BBC Radio Ulster’s live coverage of the forthcoming General Election results. For the first time, Northern Ireland will experience an overnight count on 6/7 May, so it will be a long night for Professor Wilford: ‘Plenty of coffee and the adrenalin rush provided by the announcement of results will ensure I stay fully awake’, he commented. Professor Wilford has covered every election for the BBC since 1998 and is looking forward to what promises to be an eventful set of results which may lead to the first hung Parliament since 1974.
Dr Andrew Baker is an invited participant and speaker at a workshop at the University of Oxford, 19th-20th April, 2010, “The Financial Stability Board: An Effective Fourth Pillar of Global Governance?” co-organised by the Global Economic Governance Programme University of Oxford, Initiative for Policy Dialogue Columbia University, and the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), University of Waterloo Canada. The Workshop is co-sponsored by the Foundation for Progressive European Studies (FEPS). The workshop brings together leading international financial governance scholars from around the world together with senior officials from the Financial Stability Board, the Bank of International Settlements, the Central Bank of Lebanon, the Central Bank of Chile, the South African Treasury, the Reserve Bank of India, Central Bank of Mexico, Brazilian Ministry of Finance, the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, the Brookings Institute, the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the Securities Regulatory Agency, Argentina and the International Monetary Fund. The findings of the workshop are expected to feed into and be presented to the Canadian chair’s preparations for this year’s G8 and G20 meetings.
An American student’s inspirational account of life at Queen’s University has led to her being named Northern Ireland’s International Student of the Year.
Jordan Junge, a second year BA International Studies student, in the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy, from Denver, Colorado, is one of 12 regional winners of the British Council Shine! Awards. She will challenge for the title of UK International Student of the Year 2010 at the national finals in London on 20 and 21 April.
Over 1,300 students from 118 nationalities countries entered the awards which highlight the unique contributions of international students to life in the United Kingdom. Entrants were asked to write 'letters home' in English, describing their experiences, the challenges they have faced, and what they have achieved.
In her letter, Jordan highlighted how coming to Queen’s has enriched her studies in international affairs.
She said: “The ability to uproot your life and completely immerse yourself in another culture is an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone. My beliefs, perceptions and hopes have all been altered during my time abroad. I came to Queen’s University in Belfast in hopes of gaining a new global perspective and enriching my studies in international politics.
“I have learned that you can never fully understand a conflict from textbooks, but that it is necessary to live and interact with people who have survived conflict. Sensitivity and knowledge are instrumental in conflict negotiations and it is important to understand the powerful role of emotions. I never would have learned this if I would have stayed in Denver and am forever grateful that I came to Belfast.”
“The course content is brilliant. All the lectures are extremely interesting and the lecturers are amazing. Some are the top in their field of research, but they are always willing to chat further about the topics discussed that morning in lectures.”
In her 18 months at Queen’s, Jordan has thrown herself fully into student life. She is a member of the Student Council, sits on the Students’ Union Committee for Equality and Diversity, and is an active member of RAG, Raise and Give, which raises money for local charities. Jordan is also Women's Officer for the National Student Union of Northern Ireland, NUS-USI, Secretary of the Politics Society and a member of the School of Politics Student Staff Consultative Committee.
Dr Caoimhe Nic Dháibhéid, who graduated with a PhD in Politics from the School in 2009, has just been appointed to a prestigious Junior Research Fellowship at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. During the three-year JRF, which begins in October 2010, Dr Nic Dháibhéid - whose PhD thesis on Irish republican Seán MacBride will be published next year by Liverpool University Press - is going to pursue a research project on the Royal Irish Constabulary and public opinion in Ireland.
Professor Richard English is to take part in a British Academy pubic panel discussion on Thursday 4 March, on the subject of 'Writing National History'. The debate, co-sponsored by the British Academy, the Times Literary Supplement and Oxford University Press, will address questions concerning the validity of national histories today, and the proper shape for such history-writing to take. Other speakers are Professor Linda Colley (Princeton), Professor Brian Harrison (Oxford), Dr Rana Mitter (Oxford), and the discussion will take place at the British Academy at 6.30pm.'
Futher more information visit http://www.britac.ac.uk/events/2010/wnh/index.cfm
An article forthcoming in Nations and Nationalism written by PhD student Iosif Kovras and Dr. Neophytos Loizides was cited by the Economist Magazine http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15676987
In their article titled 'Delaying Truth Recovery for Missing Persons' Kovras and Loizides examined why societies emerging from conflict often defer the recovery of missing persons for decades despite widespread public sympathy towards relatives.
Dr Andrew Baker is one of the principal speakers and participants in an International Study Group entitled, Global Economic Governance in a World of Crisis. The study group/ workshop is co-convened by Chatham House Royal Institute of International Affairs London, The Centre for International Governance Innovation, University of Waterloo Canada, and Instituto Affari Internazionali Rome, Italy, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation and the ESRC. The workshop is being held at the Rockefeller Foundation in Bellagio, Lake Como, Italy, 08-12 March 2010. Dr Baker’s paper is entitled “Restraining Regulatory Capture? Anglo-America, Crisis Politics and Trajectories of Change in Global Financial Governance.”
One day conference on 29th March 2010
‘The Transition to Sustainable Communities: Justice, Resilience and Practices of Sustainable Living’ draft programme available here
Students on the School’s MA programme in Comparative Ethnic Conflict recently took part in a major Simulation on Post-Conflict Reconstruction outlining their own project proposals for water rehabilitation (AWARE) and amputee assistance (JAIPUR FOOT) to a committee responsible for disbursing a 1 million USD fund.
Both student teams were partially successful in ‘winning’ funding for their projects while also maximising the opportunity to engage in a Simulation that encouraged them to focus on the very real challenges faced by international actors as they help rebuild war-torn and conflict-ridden societies.
Professor Beverley Milton-Edwards, who convened the simulation, said she was impressed not only by the excellent level of the students technical handle on a complex political emergency such as Gaza but that the students demonstrated sound theoretical understanding of Post Conflict Reconstruction.
Thomson Reuters Report Recognises the Excellence of QUB Politics/International Studies and other QUB Social Science Schools
Politics and International Studies academics at Queen’s, alongside their colleagues in other QUB social science Schools (including Sociology, Law and Education), have been recognised as excellent by a Thomson Reuters report commissioned by the Republic of Ireland (Forfas and the Higher Education Authority (HEA)).
The report assesses the relative standing of academic disciplines on the island of Ireland and is based on analysis of Thomson Reuters’ extensive database of the world’s leading academic journals. Social science academics in QUB are the most impressive on the island. In the 1998-2002 period and in the 2003-2007 period QUB academics outperformed Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin and all other Higher Education institutions on the island with respect to the number of papers published in the world’s most important and influential social science journals. For example, in the 2003-2007 period, 307 leading social science papers were published by QUB academics. The leading performer in the Republic was UCD (246) followed by Trinity (184). (See: http://www.forfas.ie/media/forfas091209_bibliometric_study.pdf page 72)
Professor Richard English, Head of the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy commented: ‘Our School is delighted to have contributed to this fantastic QUB social science performance’.
This recognition in the Thomson Reuter’s report follows hot on the heels of other independent recognition of the excellence of QUB politics/international studies research. For example, the School recently emerged as one of only 51 politics departments – from the 4,000 universities examined across Europe – to be included in the “Excellence Group” for Political Science. It received the accolade in the 2009 European Excellence Ranking, conducted by the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE) in Germany. (For details see: http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofPoliticsInternationalStudiesandPhilosophy/News/Title,177004,en.html#d.en.177004)
These independent analyses are also consistent with the School’s formidable performance in the recent 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (for details see: http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofPoliticsInternationalStudiesandPhilosophy/).
PISP Professor Beverley Milton-Edwards has been appointed by Australia National University Vice-Chancellor and President Ian Chubb as External Assessor for the University’s Research Assessment Exercise.
Global Ecological Politics: Advances in Ecopolitics 5, co-edited by John Barry and Liam Leonard has just been published. Further details here
http://books.emeraldinsight.com/display.asp?m=2&dc=2&mw=2&cur=GBP&st_01=liam%20leonard&sf_01=CAUTHOR
Professors Adrian Guelke and Beverley Milton-Edwards hosted a meeting Tuesday 16th March, with Arif Alikhan Assistant Secretary of State for the Department of Homeland Security in the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy at Queen’s University Belfast.
Mr Alikhan was making his first official visit to Northern Ireland. He was previously Deputy Mayor for Homeland Security & Public Safety for the City of Los Angeles as well as a federal prosecutor for nearly 10 years.
His meeting with Professors Guelke and Milton-Edwards who are internationally recognised as experts in radical movements, violence, terrorism and ethnic conflict focussed on key issues which the Department of Homeland Security works on including: countering violent extremism, domestic radicalisation, and counterterrorism.
Along with a number of other US officials attending the meeting a group of students from the PISP MA in Violence, Terrorism and Security were present to share their views and hear about the work of DHS.
Frank Wright Prize-winner Neil Matthews receives his cheque from Irish Politics Cluster Director, Professor Graham Walker
"The Transition to Sustainable Living and Practice" provides a series of insights into real alternatives to the current economic malaise, with an examination of key themes such as transition towns, traditional villages, new green financial concepts, the sustainable utopia, co-operative farming, sustainability and activism, ecofeminism, green protectionism, intentional communities and a green philosophy of money.
Professor Yvonne Galligan will address the annual conference of the Civil Service Women Managers Network on the subject of enhancing women’s role in public decision-making. The event takes place in Dublin Castle on Friday 12th February.
Dr Stefan Andreasson’s Africa’s Development Impasse: Rethinking the Political Economy of Transformation is now published with Zed Books (London and New York). The UK publication date is 11 February 2010. Find additional information on the Zed Books website and a brief introduction on the Zed Books blog.
‘A bold and imaginative reflection, in the context of southern Africa, on what the post-development injunction to seek alternatives to development can actually mean. This book contains the most sensitive and nuanced treatment of post-development thinking I have read. I highly recommend this volume not just to Africanists, but to all those who, with an open mind, are willing to reconsider just what the ‘development’ enterprise is and might be.’ - Richard Sandbrook, Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto.
The School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy, in association with other Schools in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is holding a Postgraduate Open Day on 26 February 2010, running from 11am until 4pm in the foyer of the Queen’s Drama and Film Centre, 20 University Square.
To register your interest please click here
Dr John Barry is presenting a paper on 29th January at a Conference 'Sustainability- where science meets society' in Dublin City University, entitled 'Sustainability and Interdisciplinarity between science and social science: re-reading The Two Cultures'
Professor Graham Walker is giving an invited lecture at the University of Aberdeen on 11 February entitled ‘Scotland, Northern Ireland and Devolution: Past, Present and Future’.
A group of twenty students from the University of Maryland visited the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy (PISP) in January for a talk by Dr John Garry on the subject of ‘Deeply Divided Societies, Consociationalism and Contemporary Northern Ireland Politics’. The students come from a range of social science and liberal arts programmes and all share an interest in the academic study of deeply divided societies. The students were led by Dr Sue Briggs from the College of Behavioural and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland.
Dr Briggs stated: ‘This visit was a great success. It was extremely enjoyable and informative. The students learned a lot about attempts to generate a stable government in Northern Ireland and how lessons for the wider world can be drawn from the Northern Ireland case.’
The QUB-Maryland link will be developed further in coming years. Dr Briggs and Dr Garry are already planning a second visit in two years time when a new group of Maryland students will visit QUB to learn about conflict resolution and a series of lectures and events will be held .
Given the academic expertise in QUB and Maryland on the subject of conflict resolution, research collaboration and academic exchange opportunities are being actively explored. Dr Briggs said: ‘I very much hope that the emerging QUB-Maryland relationship is firmly established and developed in the coming years’.
The University of Maryland is the second university in the Washington DC area that PISP is actively linked with. It already has firm ties with Georgetown University to which a number of PISP academics have had research visits. Professor Richard English, Head of the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy, said: ‘Our School is keenly developing its links with prestigous leading US universities. We plan that this emerging QUB-Washington connection will facilitate very fruitful student and academic collaboration in the coming years.”
Details on sources of funding for postgraduates are available here
The School is holding an Open Day for all UCAS applicants (and their parents/guardians) holding offers for our undergraduate degrees on Wednesday 17 February 2010, from approx 10.00 am until 3.00pm, in the Great Hall.
PhD student Iosif Kovras’ article titled ‘Delaying Truth Recovery for Missing Persons’ is now forthcoming in Nations and Nationalism (co-authored with Neophytos Loizides). Iosif comments on the relevance of this publication for the recent turbulent path of peace negotiations in Cyprus - A turbulent path to peace in Cyprus
Queen’s has been named as one of the best universities in Europe for political science.
The School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy at Queen’s is one of only 51 politics departments – from the 4,000 universities examined across Europe – to be included in the Excellence Group for Political Science. It received the accolade in the 2009 European Excellence Ranking, conducted by the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE) in Germany.
The Excellence Ranking analyses the research strength of higher education institutes across Europe in the natural sciences, economics, political science and psychology.
Professor Richard English, Head of School said: “This achievement reinforces Queen’s reputation as a leading centre for teaching and research in political science. The School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy was deemed ‘excellent’ in terms of its publications and citations – an achievement matched only by 11 other Russell Group politics departments.
“Inclusion in the prestigious CHE Excellence Ranking will help the School build further on its success in last year’s Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), in which it was ranked among the top eight Russell Group performers.”
The CHE Excellence Ranking is a useful resource for prospective MA or PhD students who want to continue their studies but aren’t sure which university or course to choose. Inclusion in the Excellence Group will help the School continue to attract the best students and research staff from across Europe and around the world.
Queen’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Postgraduates, Professor James McElnay, said: “This is a phenomenal achievement for the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy and a huge boost for the University as a whole as it seeks to enhance its global performance.”
For more information on the CHE Excellence Ranking visit www.excellenceranking.org
In collaboration with the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy, the Irish Studies International Research Initiative invites you to a one day conference:
‘Constitutional Nationalism in Northern Ireland:
Past, Present, and Future’
9.30am, Friday 29th January 2010
Seminar Room 1, 53-67 University Road, QUB
The conference will examine an aspect of the Northern Ireland problem largely overlooked in the existing literature. Indeed, whilst there has been much debate on the recent changes in republican and unionist politics, relatively little has been said on the constitutional nationalist tradition in Northern Ireland. This conference will help to address this oversight, and explain the crucial contribution which constitutional nationalists made to the current political settlement in the region. It will also consider the possible trajectory of nationalist politics in Northern Ireland now that mainstream republicans have also accepted the approach long advocated by constitutionalists.
Speakers include:
Eamon Phoenix (Stranmillis University College)
Sean Farren (University of Ulster, and former SDLP Minister); and
Jonathan Tonge (University of Liverpool).
In addition, the conference will include a research methods workshop, ‘Northern Ireland: Methodological Problems of Researching a Post-Conflict Society’, led by John Brewer (University of Aberdeen). The workshop is kindly supported by Queen’s University’s Staff Training and Development Unit.
For more details and to register for this conference, please contact Elaine McKay: e.mckay@qub.ac.uk
