21.08.2023 Welcome at the Center for Conflict Studies, Violette Mens!

Violette is a young doctoral student in social science, as she is just starting her PHD at Marburg University. She obtained her master’s degree in social science at the Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) of Lyon, in France, last year. And got her bachelor’s degree in Anthropology at the University Lumière Lyon 2. During her studies, she mostly worked on middle eastern concerns, and more specifically on the topic of radicalisation.
Her current and future research focuses on the creation of knowledge regarding radicalisation in the European spheres and the translation of this knowledge into political action by the decision makers.  Making use of her background in social science, Violette adopts perspectives from Anthropology, Political Science and Sociology in her approach. Methodologically, she implements both qualitative and quantitative methods.
Violette’s interest in European radicalisation was sparked by the omnipresence of this topic on the French scene during her teenager years, and the realisation that much still needed to be done on this subject and, more generally, on European studies. In the media, a lot was said by journalists, a little bit less by politicians and even less by researchers, leaving the way open for non-scientific interpretation of the phenomenon.
With her research, she aims to contribute to answer questions like: How do researchers create their knowledge? What methods do they use? Is there a form of consensus between different European researchers on the topic of radicalisation? Do politician use the produced knowledge for their law making processes? Are the politicians influenced by other elements?
Specifically, in her PhD-project “The 2010’s: A creation of epistemic communities around radicalisation?”, Violette seeks to understand how groups of knowledge can be formed, created around the concept of “radicalisation” and how this knowledge impacts national and European political decision making. She uses direct interviews with researchers and politicians as well as senate recaps and political notes to get a better view of these elements.
Additionally, as part of Prof. Dr. Bonacker’s team and integrated in the European project Vortex, Violette will work with other members of the Center for Conflict and of Vortex on different research projects.

We are very pleased to welcome Violette Mens to the Center for Conflict Studies.