Please tell us about your research project.
I am a Political Science PhD student at Université Lumière Lyon 2 (France). More specifically, my research thesis in Political Sociology focuses on Collective Memory. For my masters' thesis, I studied the memory transmission of two political prisoner convoys, deported from France to Auschwitz-Birkenau during WWII. Within the scope of my PhD Thesis, I work on the memory of antisemitic events among Jewish communities in France. I focus on understanding Jewish people, (and affiliated with), remembrance and memory practices, in their diversity.
Could you please tell us a bit more about your scholarship/exchange programme?
I had the opportunity to take part in a research and mobility partnership with IEP Lyon, in association with the Maison Francaise d'Oxford in early 2020. This exchange is an opportunity for senior and junior researchers to spend 6 weeks at the MFO and carry out research at Oxford.
First impressions of Oxford/the University?
The stay at Oxford was a great opportunity to meet with researchers, attend seminars and to have access to literature unpublished in France. Moreover, the opportunity to work in Oxford is really important for researchers working on religion or religious groups, as there are many universities linked institutions dedicated to these subjects. From the start, I felt very welcomed in Oxford, and appreciated meeting with researchers who were really receptive.