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Contenuto archiviato il 2024-05-28

CENTRE FOR GLOBAL AND REGIONAL ETHNOGRAPHIES AT AARHUS UNIVERSITY

Final Report Summary - GLOREA (Centre for Global and Regional Ethnographies at Aarhus University)

The International Reintegration Grant (IRG) 224868 'GLOREA' (The centre for global and regional ethnographies at Aarhus University) was founded in July 2008 after the return of Professor Adrian Favell from a position at the University of California, Los Angeles to Aarhus University, Denmark. He was subsequently appointed Professor of Sociology at the Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques (Sciences Po), Paris in September 2011 and the balance of 10 months funding of the IRG was moved to Paris from January to October 2012, after a 'pause' of four months during the transition.

The stated intention of the GLOREA project was to (quoting Annex One, Part B) 'over a five year period create a broad umbrella for research' linked to Favell's, enabling new research on the 'ethnography of global and regional migration and mobility', that would fall in two broad areas:

1. issues concerning new forms of migration and mobility in Europe, European borders and the management of migration in comparative regional perspective; and
2. transnational mobility and entrepreneurship in creative industries and creative cities, again in comparative regional contexts, but with a focus on East Asia.

As also stated (see the abstract of Annex One Part A), the Centre would take on the goal of generating external funding for work in these two areas, which are 'crucial for exploring the human dimensions of globalisation and regionalisation'. The hope was to create potential opportunities for research students, PhDs and post-docs, recruited internationally, who would receive support and training in quantitative and qualitative methods, as well as specialist training as ethnographers. In addition, the Centre would seek 'to establish a visible international base for research in this field, with website, outreach and publications'. More broadly, the IRG sought to create optimal conditions for the return to Europe of an established European researcher, who had spent seven years as an Associate then Full Professor in one of the top sociology departments in the United States (US). This framework was carried over to Sciences Po, Paris, for the closing period of funding, while maintaining projects at Aarhus scheduled to run until 2013 or 2014.

At Aarhus and then Paris, Favell has engaged in a wide range of international research, dissemination activities and funding and recruitment drives, building up GLOREA as a small but dynamic research centre, while also fulfilling regular faculty duties in both institutions.

Regarding personal achievements, during the period from July 2008 to October 2012 he has published one monograph, two edited volumes, six peer reviewed articles, four book chapters and other articles, made 12 keynote invitations and gave 90 other public talks and presentations in 18 different countries. In January 2010, he was awarded the Danish Ministry of Sciences, Technology and Development EliteForsk Prize (worth DKK 1.2 million), awarded annually to the five most outstanding researchers under 45 in the natural or social sciences in Denmark. He was the only scientist in the humanities or social sciences selected that year.

Regarding research funding and other activities, he was one of the lead researchers in a successful bid for a European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) funding ('Eucross' FP7 266767), worth a total of EUR 1.5 million to six institutions. The research funds part time a post-doc and a PhD student at Aarhus University. The centre also successfully supported a bid for two years post-doctoral funding from Danish humanities board (FKK). He also supervises another PhD student at Aarhus and received funding from Japan Foundation and the University of Copenhagen 'Visualising Asian modernity' project, for which he organised two major international conferences, involving academics and art galleries in Copenhagen and Aarhus. He has also organised a number of other conferences during the period, as well as running research seminars in Aarhus and Paris.

Regarding non-academic activities, he has made contributions to high level policy reflection for European Commission, Directorate General (DG) Employment and Social Affairs, Aarhus City Government, European Policy Centre, Brussels, Metropolis and Migration Policy Institute, Brussels and United Kingdom (UK) Home Office; published a number of significant journalistic works and catalogue essays in the US, France and Japan and has run a very visible 'blog' related to his research for a Japanese magazine (approximately 10 000 hits a month).

By any measure, the project has clearly fulfilled its promises and intentions.

The main website can be consulted at Aarhus University: http://projects.au.dk/glorea/

More recent activities in Paris can be found on the following website: http://www.cee.sciences-po.fr/en/le-centre/research-team/394-adrian-favell.html