A political sociology of the European Union

Nicholas Pohl Publications

A political sociology of the European Union. Reassessing constructivism, edited by Jay Rowell and Michel Mangenot, Manchester University Press, 2010


The study of the European Union has historically been a theoretical battleground. Since the 1990s, new theoretical directions such as neo-institutionalism, multi-level governance and constructivism have provided a new impetus. However, despite these new inroads, empirical work has often remained sociologically and empirically underspecified.This volume seeks to bridge the gap between theory and fieldwork by developing an actor-centred political sociology. In doing so, the volume engages in a critical dialogue with the constructivist framework and proposes to build on its insights through a sociological hardening centred on European actors.

The renewal of European studies through political sociology is only useful if it generates new understandings through empirical observation. This volume seeks to take a new tack on constructivism by asking what it is that Europe constructs by looking at three areas- social spaces and professions, policy problems and policies and policy instruments such as the Eurobarometer.

PhD and postdoc fellowships at Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences

Nicholas Pohl Job Market

The Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS) invites applications to its Ph.D. and postdoctoral programs. BIGSSS is an inter-university institute of the University of Bremen and Jacobs University and is funded by the German Excellence Initiative. The program provides close supervision of dissertation work within a demand-tailored education and research framework. Fellows are expected to choose Bremen as their place of residence. BIGSSS is part of an international network of highly acknowledged graduate programs. It supports its doctoral and postdoctoral fellows in achieving early scientific independence and provides funds for the conduct, presentation, and publishing of their research. The language of instruction is English.

Successful applicants for the Ph.D. and Preparatory Fellowships will pursue a topic in one or more of BIGSSS’ five Thematic Fields:

  • Global Integration
  • Integration and Diversity in the New Europe
  • Social Integration and the Welfare State
  • Attitude Formation, Value Change, and Intercultural Communication
  • Life-Course and Lifespan Dynamics.

15 Ph.D. Stipends/Fellowships

BIGSSS seeks candidates with strong academic abilities and a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in political science, sociology, or psychology. Applicants with a degree in law, economics, or other social science disciplines are also welcome. We offer Ph.D. stipends of € 1250/month for 36 months, contingent on successful completion of each year.

2 Preparatory Fellowships for BA Graduates

Additionally BIGSSS offers 2 stipends of € 850/month for particularly talented BA graduates. After fulfilling some course requirements and
having their proposals accepted within the first year, candidates can switch into the regular three year program.

2 Postdoctoral Stipends/Fellowships

We seek candidates pursuing English-language publication projects based either on their dissertations (by making findings available to an international audience through a book or journal article) or new research. Postdoctoral stipends of € 1750/month may run for between 6 and 24 months. The competition is open to candidates who have received a doctorate in political science, sociology, psychology, law, economics or other social science disciplines within the last 3 years and to those who can be expected to finish prior to commencing their postdoctoral stay.

More information as well as lists of required application materials can be found at http://www.bigsss-bremen.de. For additional inquiries, please check the online FAQ and feel free to contact our admissions officer at admissions-officer(at)bigsss-bremen.de.

Ph.D. fellowships will start September 1, 2011, Postdoctoral fellows may plan their stays to begin later. Non-German students are strongly encouraged to apply. BIGSSS strives to increase the share of women in the university and hence also strongly encourages women to apply. Applicants with disabilities who are equally qualified will be favored.

Applications must be submitted online under „Admissions“ at http://www.bigsss-bremen.de until March 15, 2011.

CfP: Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change 33

Nicholas Pohl Calls for papers

Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change, a peer-reviewed volume published by Emerald Group Publishing/JAI Press, encourages submissions for Volume 33 of the series. This volume will have both thematic and open-submission sections and will be guest edited by Jennifer Earl (University of California, Santa Barbara) and Deana Rohlinger (Florida State University). For the open-submission/non-thematic section, submissions appropriate to any of the three broad foci reflected in the series title will be considered.

The special section of Volume 33 will focus on „new“ and „old“ media in social movements, conflicts, and change. We encourage submissions on the relationship between older media (e.g., newspapers, books, music, radio and network and cable television) and social movements, conflicts, or change, or between „new“ media (e.g., the Web) and social movements, conflicts, or change.

Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change (RSMCC) is a fully peer-reviewed series of original research that has been published annually for over 30 years. We continue to publish the work of many of the leading scholars in social movements, social change, and peace and conflict studies. Although RSMCC enjoys a wide library subscription base for the book versions, all volumes are now published both in book form and are also available online to subscribing libraries through Emerald Insight. This ensures wider distribution and easier online access to your scholarship while maintaining the esteemed book series at the same time.

To be considered for inclusion in Volume 33, papers should arrive by May 16, 2011.

Send submissions as a WORD document attached to an email to BOTH Jennifer Earl and Dena Rohlinger, guest RSMCC editors for Volume 33, at jearl(at)soc.ucsb.edu and drohling(at)fsu.edu.

Remove all self-references (in text and in bibliography) save for on the title page, which should include full contact information for all authors. Include the paper’s title and the abstract on the first page of the text itself. For initial submissions, any standard social science in-text citation and bibliographic system is acceptable.

RSCC website