Dear Members of SG-SEP,
The current term of our Standing Group’s Steering Committee will shortly be coming to an end and I am writing to inform you that, after fifteen years at the helm of SG-SEP, I have decided not to stand again.
It was an honour for me to pick up the mantle of our Group’s founder, Leonardo Morlino, in 2007 and to build on the foundations which he and Dimitris Christopoulos had laid. It has been a pleasure to serve for 9 years as our Group Convenor, followed by two 3-year terms as Chair of the Steering Committee under ECPR’s new collective leadership model. I would like to thank you all for continually re-electing me!
Looking back over the past decade and a half, I’m very proud of what we have all achieved together. During this time, SG-SEP has ensured a strong presence for South European Studies within ECPR, running Sections at all 12 ECPR General Conferences (even during the pandemic), as well as sponsoring Joint Sessions Workshops and a Research Session. SG-SEP also contributed substantively to improving ECPR’s new Framework for Standing Groups in 2016. Externally, we have developed relationships with the South European Specialist Groups of the Political Studies Association and collaborated with them to run panels at four PSA conferences. We have also organised panels at other conferences (e.g. UACES, GrePOP).
Above all, however, SG-SEP has built a strong network of social scientists interested in Southern Europe, with a truly international membership. In doing so, we have supported the development of the field.
I would like to thank my fellow SC members – Marco Maraffi and Myrto Tsakatika (2016-19) and Bonnie Field and Stavroula Chrona (2019-22) – for their work on behalf of the Group. I would also like to thank all of you who have organised panels or presented papers at our events or supported the work of the Group in other ways. It has been a wonderful fifteen years and I have made so many friends and enjoyed it all immensely. Of course, I am not going away – I plan to remain an active member of our Group, just no longer part of the leadership.
In the next days, the SC will write to you with information about the election. If you would like to give back to the Group, please do consider standing as a candidate. Your energy will help to ensure SG-SEP’s future and continue the work we have done together so far.
Best wishes to all
Susannah
