ISA and EUIA – a world of sameness and difference
Submitted by admin on Tue, 06/05/2018 - 23:27
By Sharon Lecocq, KU Leuven
With the support of the NORTIA network, I had the opportunity to participate in two of the most interesting and renowned conferences on International Relations and EU Studies: the 59th International Studies Association convention (ISA 2018) and the 6th European Union in International Affairs conference (EUIA 2018). Both experiences not only greatly enriched my research, but also enriched me as a researcher and as a person. Here I want to share some impressions, insights and potential advice for early-career researchers who are – like me – taking their first steps in the big-bad-but-beautiful academic conference world.
Conferences are the opportunity for you to ‘get out there’: to present your research, to get feedback, to meet other scholars working on similar topics, and to get inspired by attending panels that may be of interest to your own work. NORTIA hosted no less than two panels at the ISA in April, and three panels at the EUIA in May. This provided its panellists with the chance to get feedback at ISA, and then receive more comments and recommendations on the newly adapted version at EUIA. My experience with presenting our research (with Stephan Keukeleire, on decentring the analysis of European foreign policy [1]) was very positive. Attending both conferences also felt very complementary, because although there are definitely similarities, the two conventions are somewhat different in focus and feel.
First, the focus of both is different, given that ISA includes a broader range of topics, disciplines and geographic regions. International relations as a whole are covered. This broad scope offers you the option of attending panels that are related to your topic, but also to get a taste of other discussions, which you may find to be not so distant from your own research after all (cosmology for instance). EUIA on the other hand is a great place for getting a feel of the trends in a particular corner of IR, European foreign policy. Debates are therefore very focused and comments and feedback specific, as many scholars working in this particular field attend the convention.
Second, both conferences had another feel to them. The ISA conference was big, overwhelmingly so: thousands of participants from all over the world had over 1300 panels, workshops, roundtables and caucuses to choose from; and during breaks they were all in the Hilton hotel lobby.
Large world conferences such as ISA also attract some big names – the ones you recognise from your student handbooks. During one session, you may be listening to a discussion with Joseph Nye and John Mearsheimer on the future of the Liberal International Order; the next day you’re awkwardly handing over your business card to Ole Waever, Arlene Tickner and David Blaney, stammering to them about how much they inspired your research; and then suddenly Ian Manners gives you feedback on your paper which happens to include a few references to himself. Aside from the fact that the conference is way smaller, EUIA felt somewhat more local in the sense that a large number of participants came from a European context and many of them appear old friends. However, this doesn’t mean the celebrities weren’t present, with keynote addresses given by Michel Barnier and Nathalie Tocci.
Equally important as presenting in your panel, is meeting people to tell them about your work in person. Honestly, with only 10 minutes to present and about 5 to answer questions by discussant and audience, most interaction happens during coffee breaks, lunch or at receptions. It’s all about the networking opportunities these events engender, engaging with which doesn’t come naturally to the shy newbie. Fortunately, having a co-author and being part of a larger research network such as NORTIA helps you to get introduced and before you know it, you are an old friend yourself.
Last but not least, attending international conferences allows you to see something of the world, with this year’s ISA destination: San Francisco! In between and after the panels and networking receptions, there may be some time left to get to know the city you’re in. San Francisco does have so much more to offer than the conference venue: Golden Gate bridge, China Town, Pier 39, Museum of Modern Art, etc. … let’s say I tried to make the most of my transatlantic journey! Conveniently closer to home was EUIA, which is traditionally organized in the royal setting of the Academy Palace in the heart of the EU capital, Brussels. Many scholars therefore combine participating in the conference with doing interviews with officials in the EU institutions close by.
By way of conclusion, I would very much like to thank the NORTIA team, especially also Heidi Maurer, for their support and for having me as a team member. I am also grateful to my panels’ discussants, Alisdair Young and Robert Kissack, who read our paper and shared invaluable insights and ideas that will greatly improve our work. An Erasmus+ network like NORTIA is a fantastic environment to be a part of as an early-career researcher: not only am I embedded in a group of leading experts in the field of European foreign policy, the network explicitly invests in supporting young researchers in furthering their career. Looking forward to the next steps in our collaboration!
[1] This research project is explained in nine short videos on the eufp.eu/nortia website.