First CIVICA interdisciplinary summer school

Léonard COLOMBA-PETTENG: I am a fourth-year PhD Candidate at the Center for International Research (CERI) and I work on European security policies in the Sahel region, under the supervision of Professor Christian Lequesne. My research focuses on the capacity-building mission that was launched in Niger in 2012 (EUCAP Sahel). This civilian mission is mandated to enhance Nigerien security forces (Police, Gendarmerie, Garde nationale). From a sociological perspective, I try to understand how EU staff concretely organise on a daily basis to implement the mandate given by Member States and according to which constraints these actors operate on the ground.

Mattia LUPI: I am a third-year PhD student in political science at Sciences Po. My research project aims to explore the changing boundaries of the power and independence of the Italian central bank during the so-called 'neoliberal transition'. In particular, I am studying how the reconfiguration of the autonomy of the Bank of Italy in the face of the Treasury and the financial system took place and how this influenced the historical development of Italy in the context of globalization and EU integration. 

Léonard COLOMBA-PETTENG: I initially applied to the CIVICA summer school for doctoral researchers to discuss my research with other PhD candidates who were not necessarily familiar with my topic, or even with the state of debates in my field of research. I believed that it could bring a fresh outlook to my work. I also thought that this summer school could be a nice opportunity to update my knowledge of recent debates in neighboring disciplines, such as History and Law...and it was indeed the case!
Beyond the fact that Florence is a lovely place, I appreciated this summer school for several reasons. First, I was lucky to receive thought-provoking feedback from advanced scholars on the basis of a working paper that I had submitted beforehand. I had the opportunity to meet Professor Kalypso NICOLAÏDIS who has developed a fascinating research agenda under the label "Rethinking Europe in a Non-Western World" (RENEW) at the University of Oxford. I heavily borrow from her approach to EU foreign policy in my own PhD dissertation. On another note, I really enjoyed the tour of the Historical Archives of the European Union organised by its director, Dieter SCHLENKER. Finally, I encountered brilliant PhD candidates coming from Italy, Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, Ireland, Poland, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. I have learnt about the peculiarities of the academic system in these different countries.

Mattia LUPI: Thanks to some of my colleagues at Sciences Po who are involved in the CIVICA Project, I came across the opportunity to participate in this summer school on the issue of European Integration hosted by the European University Institute in Florence. I did not hesitate to apply for it because I could not miss the chance to meet with other young doctoral students and early-career researchers from top-ranked universities and present my project in an academic (and geographical) context of such level. 
My expectations have been indeed met by far. I could not really ask for more. The programme included not only doctoral presentations from an interdisciplinary perspective, but also lectures by senior scholars as well as informal dinners with them! This facilitated a lot the exchange of opinions and ideas, which in the end contributed to strengthen our network. I made real friends during this experience, with whom I will certainly keep in touch also beyond traditional academic settings. 

Léonard COLOMBA-PETTENG: I strongly recommend to other doctoral researchers to participate in CIVICA activities. They will certainly meet knowledgeable faculty members from other universities and I am pretty sure that they will discover things that they did not even expect at the moment they applied... I really believe in the serendipity of these kinds of experiences! Besides, doctoral researchers have to be aware that the organisation is more than efficient and the current CIVICA staff is genuinely nice.

Mattia LUPI: I strongly encourage other Phd students like me to participate and be involved in CIVICA activities - a community of scholars and people whose commitment to academia and higher education is truly inspiring!