We are delighted to announce the return of the SPAIS PGR Research Showcase where students and staff come together to celebrate the contribution of PGR students to the SPAIS research community. The PGR Research Showcase offers an opportunity for PhD students in the latter stages of their work to present their research to their fellow PGRs and staff members. It is a great forum for all to learn about the work of late-stage PhDs in the department and for students who are writing up to gain constructive feedback on their work before they submit.

Please make every effort to attend what promises to be a fantastic afternoon of presentation and discussion.  We look forward to welcoming you to this postgraduate student facilitated event.

Join the virtual showcase event on Zoom: https://bristol-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/92781341516?pwd=K1h3TXFvc05SUm42cDI2R3hyVlFuUT09 

Programme

12:55-1:00 Welcome/Showcase overview

1:00-1:50 Lin Ma

Lin’s research examines how individual Chinese students navigate the international HE terrain. This group has increasingly become knowledge recipients of anglophone universities but are often marginalised and misrecognised. Following the convergence of postcolonial and decolonial epistemologists, Lin contests the perceived irrelevance regarding the Chinese. Besides data problematising linguistic, cultural, and economic attributions, this presentation also analyses the anglophone knowledge of Chinese Christian subjectivity to illustrate how inclusion of racialised Chinese alone does not decolonise the knowledge structure that readily excludes. Rather, Decolonising-the-university as engagement goes hand in hand with decolonial epistemologies in research-based knowledge production. Discussant: Professor Bridget Anderson

2:00-2:50 Fouzzia Assouz

Fouzzia’s research identifies how existing research on Muslim matrimonial practices in Britain has shed light on various concerns relating to unregistered Nikah marriages and the operation of faith-based dispute resolution mechanisms, more specifically Sharia councils. Several contributions have been explicit in identifying the need for reform and regulation in order to address these concerns. The thesis is concerned with exploring these different avenues for the regulation of Muslim marriage and divorce practices in Britain. The premise and rationale for this study is that some form of regulation is necessary, but that further empirical research investigating existing proposals is required in order to identify key actors as well as the most suitable course of action. In this presentation, I will share some of my findings specifically concerning unregistered faith marriages. Discussant: Dr Nazia Hussein

3:00-3:50 Alessio Scopelliti

Alessio’s research investigates established radical right parties (eRRPs) and cleavage studies. In cleavage theory, it is argued that long-time established parties have more difficulties to readapt to new social/political landscapes because they are programmatically inflexible towards cleavage structures (old and new) both in terms of salience and position. Indeed, according to this literature, the main party-political response to new cleavages comes chiefly in the form of new political parties. This thesis investigates how established radical right parties are able to readapt on fundamental socio-political conflicts over long periods of time (from 1980 to 2019). This presentation focuses on one of the research case studies form the thesis: the Italian League. Discusssant: Dr Andrew Wyatt

3:50-4:00 Closing remarks