Photo credit: University of Glasgow

Stefan Morar, September 2018

In the academic year 2017-2018, I was awarded a BEAR Network Graduate Mobility Grant. This allowed me to participate in a research visit to the University of Glasgow between 5 and 15 June 2018, where I worked with David J. Smith and Ammon Cheskin, two reputed professors in nationalism studies. Due to the rich logistical amenities offered by the university, and the academic support, informed by valuable factual and methodological insights, this experience proved extremely useful for my research endeavors.

Although I have spent only ten days at Glasgow University, my time in the department of Political Science proved to be extremely beneficial for the theoretical framework of my PhD thesis proposal. I also had the opportunity to present my subject in a seminar organized by Prof. David Smith, thus I was able to structure and develop my work further. As a result, the ideas acquired in Glasgow are part of my thesis proposal at University of Montreal.

One of the most valuable outcomes of the BEAR mobility grant is that it gives students the possibility to pursue new opportunities for interdisciplinary research. My work benefited greatly from this, and thus, I consider it to be this program’s core feature.