Portraits
Introducing the members of CEE through their backgrounds and research activities.
CuRRENT MEMBERS OF THE CENTRE
Federico Varese: "Mafias: A Form of States?"
Federico Varese joined the Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics as a Professor of Sociology in February 2023, following a distinguished career at the University of Oxford where he held the position of Sociology Department Chair. His research focuses on organized crime and mafias, with a particular emphasis on the former Soviet Union and Russia. Currently, he is leading a comprehensive comparative project titled CrimGov, which is funded by an ERC Advanced Grant. The project aims to investigate criminal organizations by analyzing their activities related to production, trade, and governance. In this video, Professor Varese discusses his academic trajectory, research interests, and the factors that motivated his decision to join CEE and Sciences Po.
Interviewed by Véronique Etienne (February 2023)
Transcription of this interview (PDF, 52 ko)
Gabriel Feltran: "Studying the Governance of Transnational Illegal Markets"
Gabriel Feltran, a Research Director at CNRS, joined CEE in November 2022 after holding a position at the Federal University of São Carlos in Brazil. Drawing upon his ethnographic investigations in urban peripheries, Gabriel Feltran explores the dynamics of governance, power, violence, and normative regimes, particularly within illegal or criminal value chains. In this video, he presents his past and current research projects, as well as the motivations behind his decision to join CEE.
Interviewed by Véronique Etienne (November 2022).
Transcription of this interview (PDF, 47 ko)
Florence Faucher, new Director of CEE: "Understanding the transformations of the world we live in"
On September 1, 2022, Florence Faucher, Professor of Political Science at Sciences Po, succeeded Florence Haegel as the Director of the Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics (CEE). In this video, she shares her background, research interests, her mindset for taking on this new role, and her vision for CEE.
Interviewed by Véronique Etienne & Sébastien Wony (September 2022).
Isabelle Guinaudeau: "Examining the Link between Election Campaigns and Public Action"
Isabelle Guinaudeau, a Research Fellow at CNRS, joined CEE in the spring of 2022. She presents her background and research work on the intersection of political competition and public action.
Interviewed by Sébastien Wony (May 2022).
Transcription of this interview (PDF, 26 ko)
Ulrike Lepont: "Public Investment Policies in Europe as Indicators of the Transformation of the State's Role"
Ulrike Lepont, a researcher in political science, joined CNRS and CEE in the autumn of 2021. In this interview, she introduces her academic trajectory and her current research topic, which focuses on public investment policies in Europe and examines the transformation of the state's role in the economy following the crises of 2008 and 2020.
Interviewed by Myriam Sefraoui (novembre 2021).
Transcription of this interview (PDF, 102 ko)
Joost de Moor: "How do Climate Activists Perceive the Future?"
Joost de Moor: "How do Climate Activists Perceive the Future?"Joost de Moor joined Sciences Po and the Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics as an Assistant Professor in the autumn of 2021. His research and teaching revolve around environmental policy, social movements, and political participation, utilizing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods as well as comparative models and case studies. In this interview, he presents his academic background and current research, primarily focusing on how climate activists in European countries (including Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Belgium) navigate strategic dilemmas.
Interviewed by Myriam Sefraoui (September 2021).
Transcription of this interview (PDF, 60 Ko).
Pierre Charbonnier: "Integrating Climate Geopolitics into Contemporary Political Philosophy"
Pierre Charbonnier, a philosopher and research fellow at CNRS, is a former student of the École normale supérieure, an agrégé, and a PhD holder in philosophy. His work centers around the environmental history of ideas and the forms of power associated with the governance of nature in modern societies. In this conversation, he shares his academic trajectory and successive research topics.
Interviewed by Myriam Sefraoui (September 2021).
Transcription of this interview (PDF, 134 ko)
Natasha Wunsch : "Comment la régression démocratique de certains États membres affecte l’Union européenne"
Natasha Wunsch, Assistant Professor in Political Science/European Integration at Sciences Po since 2019, is also a Senior Researcher at ETH Zurich and a member of the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group. She is leading the project "Democratic Regression in Eastern Europe: Sequence, Strategies, Citizens," funded from 2019-2023 by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) at ETH Zurich.
Her research lies at the intersection of European studies and comparative politics. Natasha Wunsch is particularly interested in how European integration influences political transformation in candidate countries and, conversely, the impact of democratic regression and illiberal trends within certain member states on cooperation at the European level.
Read the interview (conducted by Myriam Sefraoui, September 2021).
Jessica Pidoux, Postdoctoral Fellow for the COESO Project: "Measuring Cooperation Dynamics to Enhance Participatory Science Practices"
As part of the Horizon 2020 COESO Project, Jessica Pidoux is conducting a postdoctoral research at the Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics (CEE). She presents her multifaceted background and shares her experience as a young researcher.
Interviewed by Myriam Sefraoui (September 2021)
Transcription this interview (PDF, 58 Ko)
