ISPP Early Career Committee Newsletter — Issue 1, 2023
Welcome to the ISPP ECC Newsletter!
For Issue 1, 2023, we’ve continued with our previous format. Rather than having the full newsletter sent to your email (which can be rather long), you can again click to read more for each of the contributions, and you’ll be directed to the full version of the newsletter on Medium. Watch this space!
Chair’s Address
Dr. Tijana Karić (Philipps-Universität Marburg)
Dear Early Career Scholars,
I would like to welcome you to the Spring Newsletter! The past several months have been full of events that have made me think about the importance of our expertise in political psychology. I hope you all recognize how much we can contribute to making changes for the better of societies around the world.
The topic of this newsletter, edited by our amazing Newsletter Coordinators Felipe Vilanova and Jessica Gale, is “Political psychology and natural disasters”. Needless to say, the topic is inspired by the tragic events in Turkey and Syria, that made us aware of the fragility of everything. I would like to personally express condolences to all of you who may have lost your loved ones or your homes in the earthquake. We have been witnesses of solidarity, and also lack thereof, and this newsletter is our small contribution to giving voice to those affected and learning from political-psychological research about the societal consequences of natural disasters. Please take time to read the heartful contributions of our colleagues.
I would also like to bring your attention to a call from the Political Psychology journal editors, who are establishing an early-career editorial board! This is a great opportunity for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to learn and dive into the world of publishing from the other side. You can find more information here.
I would like to congratulate the winners of the ECC Travel Awards. The ECC provided funds for 19 early-career scholars to assist with expenses related to the annual meeting in Montreal. Our award-winning scholars come from multiple disciplines (political science, psychology, social sciences, and educational science) and countries including Turkey, Belgium, the US, the UK, Poland, Spain, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, and France.
We are a couple of months away from the Annual Meeting in Montreal, and I would like to use the opportunity to invite those of you attending the meeting to join us for the ECC events. The Mentoring Luncheon coordinators, Slieman Halabi and Rongbo Jin, are thrilled to host the event. They are matching 80 early career scholars with 20 mentors. Make sure to check your inboxes regularly not to miss their emails!
The Professional Development team, led by Fabian Neuner and Ruri Takizawa, is offering two roundtables covering timely and important topics of particular interest to junior scholars, as well as an Elevator Pitch workshop! One of the roundtables is about career trajectories post-PhD, helping ECRs navigate the opportunities and challenges of their early career. The second roundtable is an opportunity to meet journal editors and hear about strategies to build up our publishing skills. And, as always, the Elevator Pitch workshop is quite a fun experience! Last, but not least, the ECC is hosting its popular Social Hour where people can relax among colleagues from around the world. If you plan on attending the annual meeting in Montreal, I hope to see you at one or more of these events.
I would like to present new members of the ECC who will be starting their terms after the annual meeting in July: the new Chair-Elect Boglárka Nyúl, Web Resources Coordinator Ruri Takizawa, Professional Development Coordinator Mete Sefa Uysal, Mentoring Luncheon Coordinator Erika Arias, and Newsletter Editor Andrea Correa Chica. Welcome to the team!
If you are not already following the ISPP ECC on Twitter (@PolPsyISPP), I encourage you to do so. In case of any inquires, you can reach us at ecc@ispp.org.
Finally, I would like to thank Myrto Pantazi for her support as Chair-Elect, and Julie Wronski for her restless guidance as Ex-Officio Chair.
I hope you enjoy the newsletter, and I look forward to seeing you in Montreal.
Best,
Tijana Karić
ECC Chair
2023 Issue I Theme: The political dimensions of state’s neglect and people’s solidarity after socionatural disasters
By Ronay Bakan (rbakan1@jh.edu; PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University) and
canan coşkan (canancoskan@gmail.com; Independent researcher with scientific affiliation to IKG, Bielefeld University)
On February 6th, we woke up to first a 7.7, then a 7.6 earthquake (EQ), both of which hit Turkey, Kurdistan, and Syria. While one of us (Ronay) woke in fear with the trembling as she was in Amed for her fieldwork, the other (canan) learned about it in the early morning with friends’ phone calls. First, we were both relieved seeing/hearing all our loved ones around and not knowing the extent of the disaster. Then, the devastating news started to come in. As of May 9, according to official records, more than 58.000 persons lost their lives and more than 15 million persons (among whom 6 million people are displaced) are affected from the EQ across Turkey, Kurdistan and Syria (ReliefWeb, 2023a; 2023b). As always, the nation-states continue to secure their borders at the cost of human lives (Yuval-Davis et al., 2019). However, the scope of catastrophe showed once more that corrupt governments’ class, race, faith, gender, disability based humanitarian neglects in the face of disasters know no borders, affecting several cities across the EQ region which took its most devastating tolls in Maras, Adıyaman, Hatay, Malatya, Aleppo, and Latakia.
As we know as social scientists, ‘natural’ disasters are hardly natural — the effects of (neo)colonialism, racism, patriarchy, capitalism, corruption and authoritarianism mean that people are affected unequally in the process of disaster risk reduction, emergency response, and recovery (Atallah, 2016; Klein, 2007). The existing structural inequalities (re)produced by the exploitative mechanisms of hegemonic systems are exacerbated after disasters, costing many lives and leaving many who survive even more vulnerable than they were before (and even more dependent on the mercy of existing political regimes). Encountering these facts in the literature may sadly seem familiar (e.g. Templeton et al., 2020), but experiencing a natural disaster and its consequences is truly devastating. For instance, in Syria, in the context of an ongoing civil war and fragmented sovereignty survivors experienced systematic dismissal on a global scale (Guardian, 2023). Specifically, the international aid reached Syria after several days when border crossings were finally permitted, which led to vital consequences such as acute health intervention and sheltering for the survivors and especially for children (e.g. UNICEF Syria, 2023), despite the ongoing large scale homelessness and the lack of health and education infrastructure in the region. In the meanwhile, as reported by Umut-Sen (2023), which is a non-governmental organization established from below for a syndicalism oriented collectivity, the official disaster intervention terribly failed in Turkey including 10 city centers but also thousands of villages (see also Amnesty, 2023). In particular, the neglect of the authorities as well as their attempts to prevent community efforts were visible in cities and districts, which used to be populated by ethnoreligiously minoritized groups such as Kurds, Arabs, Alevis, and Christians.
In the first day of the EQ, Ronay directly experienced the political struggles manifested as a systematic neglect and selective deservingness toward survivors and aid volunteers; as she recalls: “I waited in the gathering area for 4 hours with my family before heading to the Crisis Desk in Amed. There was no state representative to even distribute water to those who were standing outside in the snow. When I went to a nearby demolishment site during that time, there was one fire truck, a few officers, and total chaos. There was not an official effort to take that chaos under control so that people under the rubble can make themselves heard. We are talking about a city where there would normally be hundreds of riot police when there is a press release regarding human rights anytime of the day in line with the state’s ongoing fight against its Kurdish residents who are perceived unruly. When the state representatives were present, they would make us, the volunteers, carry the food we brought for survivors to their distribution zone so that they could claim that they were there and helped people. However, even this appropriated aid was very selective. For instance, state representatives were absent in certain demolishment sites such as in Mevlana Halit Neighborhood, while government-facilitated Islamic organizations led rescue and humanitarian efforts in the Yenikoy Neighborhood.”
Against this background, socionatural disasters are also those situations when people quickly organize and collectively mobilize help (ReliefWeb, 2023c). For instance, on the first day, Ronay found herself in the Chamber of Trade and Industry in Diyarbakir where the City Platform of Solidarity and Protection in Diyarbakir launched a Crisis Desk for risk assessment and urgent supply chain. Similarly, among many others, feminist, queer, Kurdish, Alevi and Orthodox-Christian mutual aid networks were promptly mobilized in different localities thanks to their accumulated on-ground experience based on progressive grassroots mobilization against the state repression and neglect– dating back to before the EQ itself. Such decentralized sociopolitical organizing from below could flexibly shift the immediate focus to the community needs, much faster, fairer and more efficiently than governmental organizations such as Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) or Turkish Red Crescent, which for instance sold thousands of tents instead of distributing them to the survivors, exacerbating fury among citizens (Zaman, 2023; see also Tekin & Albayrak-Aydemir, 2023).
Still, as progressive grassroots activists continued to coordinate humanitarian relief in the absence and the selective neglect of the state institutions, the government criminalized and prevented them (e.g. Human Rights Watch, 2023). As Ronay experienced when volunteering for humanitarian relief efforts in Adıyaman, the state forcefully shut down a warehouse where organized volunteers would regiment and distribute humanitarian aid. These repressive moves aimed at monopolizing the aid and preventing from-below organization were also observed in other cities such as Maraş (Yılmaz, 2023). In the meanwhile, the government-organized non-governmental organizations (GONGOs as referred in political science) continued to be in charge to fill the gaps that the state left–or rather created in Turkey. For instance, in Adıyaman, the operation of an AFAD tent city was left to HAK Search and Rescue–a pro-government religious GONGO. In another instance, the volunteers of the Turkish Youth Foundation (TÜGVA), another ultranationalist and Islamic GONGO were operating in a children’s tent while the Children Crisis Network under the Crisis Desk of Amed was not allowed to enter tent cities in Amed. Thus, as also observed by Umut-Sen volunteers (Umut-Sen, 2023) and other social workers in the field (Chebbab, 2023) chasms that were left by the state were filled by the GONGOs which organize around nationalist and political Islamist premises (Doyle, 2016). Such GONGO activities facilitated the systematic imposition of pro-government sentiments where the state was absent. Furthermore, they also impacted the fatal conditions of survivors. For example, the pro-government GONGOs would oppose to distribute baby formulas arriving from Taiwan on the basis of not knowing whether it is halal or not–a decision that they would make on behalf of survivors who were in immediate need of feeding their children–in one of the tent cities in Adıyaman.
Our limited experience allows us to suggest that there is an inherent political agency dimension to the post-disaster mobilization, at least partially shaped by the systematically selective support (and neglect) of the authorities, the collective coordination of community mutual aid and the systemic barriers against the latter (e.g. Cocking et al., 2023). While progressive grassroots agents can weave collective resilience through mutual aid (and this can be empowering; Tekin & Drury, 2023), state or government agents might pursue their own system-legitimizing agenda that encompasses not only the prevention of progressive mutual aid groups but also the mobilization of organizations at the service of hegemonic political and religious ideologies. This political dimension of post-disaster mobilization requires us, social scientists including political psychologists, to critically reflect on our epistemological perspectives and methodological approaches especially in emerging humanitarian contexts and to expose diverse political agencies through research and active community involvement (see also Fine, 2023). In short, when political psychologists devote their scientific research to contribute to the collective well-being and resilience of the communities in need, it is necessary to consider the perplexities around the political agencies developing around community-centered solidarity.
References
Amnesty (2023, February 23). Türkiye/Syria Earthquakes: A Human Rights Approach to Crisis Response. Amnesty International English. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2023/02/turkiye-syria-earthquakes-a-human-rights-approach-to-crisis-response/
Atallah, D. G. (2016). Toward a decolonial turn in resilience thinking in disasters: Example of the Mapuche from southern Chile on the frontlines and faultlines. International journal of disaster risk reduction, 19, 92–100.
Cocking, C., Vestergren, S., Ntontis, E., & Luzynska, K. (2023). ‘All together now’: Facilitators and barriers to engagement in mutual aid during the first UK COVID-19 lockdown. PLoS One, 18(4), e0283080.
Chebbab, A. (2023, May 1). “Don’t forget people in Turkey:” Social worker explains how earthquake survivors still need help. Nadja. https://www.nadja.co/2023/05/01/social-worker-explains-how-earthquake-survivors-still-need-help/
Doyle, J. L. (2016). State control of civil society organizations: the case of Turkey. Democratization, 24(2), 244–264.
Fine, M. (2023). Prec (ar) ious knowledge and the neoliberal academy: Towards re‐imagining epistemic justice and critical psychology. British Journal of Social Psychology, 62, 180–193.
Guardian (2023, February 13). Syria earthquake aid held up as millions suffer in freezing conditions. Guardian News. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/13/syria-earthquake-aid-held-up-as-millions-suffer-in-freezing-conditions
Human Rights Watch (2023, April 5). Turkey: Police and Gendarmerie Abuses in Earthquake Zone: Torture and Other Ill-Treatment, Indifference to Violent Assaults. HRW News. https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/04/05/turkey-police-and-gendarmerie-abuses-earthquake-zone
Klein, N. (2007). The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. London: Penguin.
ReliefWeb (2023a, April 12). Devastating Earthquakes in Southern Türkiye and Northern Syria, April 13th 2023, Situation Report 21. ReliefWeb International. https://reliefweb.int/report/turkiye/devastating-earthquakes-southern-turkiye-and-northern-syria-april-13th-2023-situation-report-21-entr
ReliefWeb (2023b, May 9). Syria/Turkey Earthquakes Situation Report #9, May 9, 2023. ReliefWeb International. https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/syriaturkey-earthquakes-situation-report-9-may-9-2023
ReliefWeb (2023c, April 12). Solidarity at scale: Local responder perspectives and learning from the first week of the earthquake response in Syria and Türkiye. ReliefWeb International. https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/solidarity-scale-local-responder-perspectives-and-learning-first-week-earthquake-response-syria-and-turkiye
Templeton, A., Guven, S. T., Hoerst, C., Vestergren, S., Davidson, L., Ballentyne, S., … & Choudhury, S. (2020). Inequalities and identity processes in crises: Recommendations for facilitating safe response to the COVID‐19 pandemic. British Journal of Social Psychology, 59(3), 674–685.
Tekin, S. & Albayrak-Aydemir, N. (2023, February, 23). Solidarity in the aftermath of the earthquake. Britich Pscyhological Society, the Psychologist. https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/solidarity-aftermath-earthquake
Tekin, S., & Drury, J. (2023). How do those affected by a disaster organize to meet their needs for justice? Campaign strategies and partial victories following the Grenfell Tower fire. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 11(1), 92–109.
Umut-Sen (2023, March 17). Earthquake Observation Report. https://umutsen.org/index.php/earthquake-observation-report/
UNICEF Syria (2023, April 10). Devastating earthquakes impact infrastructure, displacement, and education in Syria. UNICEF Website. https://www.unicef.org/syria/stories/devastating-earthquakes-impact-infrastructure-displacement-and-education-syria
Yuval-Davis, N., Wemyss, G., & Cassidy, K. (2019). Bordering. John Wiley & Sons.
Yılmaz, T. (2023, February 16). Authorities seize aid intended for earthquake victims in epicenter area. Bianet: English edition. https://m.bianet.org/english/print/274389-authorities-seize-aid-intended-for-earthquake-victims-in-epicenter-area
Zaman, A. (2023, February 27). Fury in Turkey as Red Crescent sells tents following quakes. Al-Monitor. https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/02/fury-turkey-red-crescent-sells-tents-following-quakes
Advice Column
Political Psychology and Natural Disasters
By Asst. Prof. Sabahat Çiğdem Bağcı (Sabanci University)
Many peoples’ lives are considerably affected and threatened by natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and diseases in various parts of the world. Scholars from different fields, but especially social and political researchers, pay particular attention to how societies respond to such natural disasters. One unprecedented example was the large-scale cross-cultural collaborations across different social disciplines, questioning how different societies have dealt with the recent COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., PsyCorona). While repercussions of the pandemic in the political and public arena are still alive, many parts of the world face other challenges. For example, Turkey and Syria have been recently hit by massive earthquakes in February 2023, creating new collective traumas in the society and leading social political researchers to explore further research avenues.
Depending on the extent, longevity, as well as type of the natural disaster, societies may display a variety of responses to these collective phenomena. On the one hand, natural disasters are likely to be associated with increased lack of control, uncertainty, and threat perceptions, which make existing intergroup inequalities across racial and gender groups more salient, thereby eventually increasing xenophobic attitudes towards stigmatized groups (e.g., Krings et al., 2021). Natural disasters may also result in decreases in political trust (Dodds, 2015), especially if the government is held accountable for inadequate disaster preparedness and management. Violent conflicts across various polarized groups are likely to (re)emerge during such catastrophic events, particularly in low-middle income countries with unstable economies and equality concerns (Nel & Righarts, 2008). We have also seen, many times, natural disasters to be framed by political elites in very specific ways that evoke hostile attitudes towards vulnerable groups, with public discourses centered around existing disparities, further fueling conspiracy theories and populist ideologies.
On the other hand, we have also witnessed increased solidarity, unity, and common ingroup identity that has grown across different populations. This involves increased cooperation and prosocial behaviors, creating a form of collective resilience in the face of natural disasters (e.g. Vezzali et al., 2015). People may indeed become more sensitive to (in)justice, seek political freedom, and display greater willingness to engage in political action in response to these natural disasters (e.g., Kastenmüller et al., 2013). This may naturally decrease group boundaries across disadvantaged and advantaged groups in society, creating a sense of solidarity.
While societies are challenged with the aim of collectively coping with the traumas associated with such natural disasters, what can we do to help, as researchers, to improve our understanding of various reactions to these issues? First of all, one of the immediate stances we can take is to come up with problem-solving focused research that takes into account potential societal and political tensions in the affected area. As natural disasters are likely to increase the intensity of ongoing conflicts, disagreements, and hostile intergroup behaviors, researchers may explore how to best create a peaceful environment whereby existing intergroup disparities do not escalate in times of despair.
Beyond these theoretical approaches, one may always think beyond and design various interventions that may prevent potential conflicts that develop as a result of increased threat and uncertainty. Strategies that promote cooperative and solidarity-based action that capitalize inclusion, equality and human rights should be particularly encouraged. Devising various mechanisms that could buffer some of the traumas and negative feelings at the collective level may be key to improving how societies cope with the tremendous psychological toll created by natural disasters.
While it may not be easy for us as researchers to maintain our focus on these informative approaches whilst also suffering from these collective traumatic events individually, staying active as a researcher, particularly during these times, is important. Especially early career researchers may encounter various challenges; one may need to cope with the negative emotions and perceptions of uncertainty and uncontrollability associated with the disaster, whilst also trying to effectively conduct research, write papers, and apply for projects. It is often possible that our own line of research is interrupted by these unexpected events, at a critical time when we are expected to produce and publish consistently. Yet, many researchers also manage to incorporate their own line of research into existing societal facts, and engage in new research avenues despite tremendous traumatic experiences, providing important insights into the current scientific literature while sustaining our motivation and resilience as a researcher. Suggestions for early career researchers who face those challenges may therefore include (but not limited to) focusing on what we could learn from disasters as societies and individuals and how as researchers we can influence public policies at those critical times, as well as building strong solidarity-based research networks through new collaborations.
Information About the 2023 ISPP Annual Meeting
ECC Mentoring Luncheon
ISPP will be hosting a Mentoring Luncheon event at the 2023 ISPP Annual Conference in Montreal, Canada. The Mentoring Luncheon is organized annually to facilitate one-to-one meetings between early career scholars and leading academics and researchers in their field. One of the main goals of this event is to facilitate long-term connections, for career development and research advice beyond the individual’s supervisors at their respective institution. This event has attracted increasing numbers of participants over the years, as emerging scholars recognize the value of engaging with leading researchers who have volunteered to share their expertise and provide valuable guidance.
After two years of Virtual Mentoring event and one year of flexible format during the pandemic, we are excited to announce that Mentoring Luncheon is back to the conference venue. The session will provide a casual and comfortable atmosphere for both mentors and mentees to engage in meaningful discussions. Mentees will have the opportunity to ask questions, seek advice, and network with established scholars.
This session is a unique opportunity for early career researchers to gain insights into the latest developments and trends in political psychology, as well as receive personalized guidance on their own research projects.
Please note: This event can accommodate only 80 early career mentees and 20 mentors (100 total persons). Applying for the event upon registration for the conference does NOT guarantee participation in the Mentoring Luncheon event. Applicants are required to wait until receiving confirmation from the luncheon organizers.
Slieman Halabi & Rongbo Jin
Mentoring Program Coordinators
Early Career Scholars Roundtables
We are excited to offer two roundtables and one elevator pitch workshop at the upcoming annual meeting in Montreal. These events will provide valuable insights and practical advice on various topics relevant to early career political psychology researchers.
1) Roundtable: Opportunities and Challenges during Career Trajectories
Are you a junior scholar facing challenges transitioning from your Ph.D. studies to a postdoc or assistant professorship? Our roundtable will bring together scholars from different career phases to discuss best practices regarding research, teaching, and publication strategies. Our panelists, who come from political science and psychology, will advise on promoting research, building a tenure application, social media use, blogging research, developing a personal website, managing Google Scholar, and more.
2) Roundtable: The Dissertation is done, now what?
Are you wondering what to do with your completed dissertation? Our roundtable of scholars and editors will provide advice on the publications of dissertations and research articles. The discussions will also cover when it’s appropriate to walk away from a publication and how promotion and tenure committees view projects coming out of the dissertation.
3) Elevator Pitch Workshop
Do you struggle with framing your research in an engaging manner for different audiences? Our workshop is designed to help you master the art of elevator pitches. A panel of experts will discuss the challenges of framing interdisciplinary research, and participants will have a chance to role-play and practice how to speak about their research in an engaging manner.
We hope that these workshops will be beneficial for all attendees and help them succeed in their academic careers.
Fabian Neuner & Ruri Takizawa
Professional Development Coordinators
2023 ISPP Academy
We’re thrilled to announce that this year’s Academy will take place in the beautiful city of Montréal from July 6th to 8th.
As in past years, the ISPP Academy will unite early career scholars with established researchers for immersive and hands-on training in political psychology.
I, along with my assistant Markéta Odlová, are currently working hard to finalize the schedule. Our impressive line-up of instructors includes renowned political psychologists from around the globe, including Johanna Dunaway (Texas A&M University), Ana Figueiredo (Instituto de Ciencias Sociales), Yasin Koc (University of Groningen), Rezvan Moghaddam (Scholar at Risk, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), David Redlawsk (University of Delaware), Felicia Pratto (University of Connecticut), André F. Sales (Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo), Salvador Sandoval (Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo), Hermann Swart (Stellenbosch University), and Nicholas Valentino (University of Michigan). Their lectures and Q&A sessions will cover a wide range of topics, from survey research to media and communication effects, intergroup conflict, political psychology of protests, digital populism, and more. We are also planning to have talks focusing on professional development issues and blitz presentation sessions where fellows could find an opportunity to present and get feedback on their research.
We’re delighted to welcome about 45 fellows from around the world, at different stages of their career, to join us in Montréal this year. The diversity of both lecturers and participants is a significant aspect of our Academy, and we’re excited to foster a global community of political psychologists.
To stay up-to-date on the Academy and follow the latest updates you can visit our website, https://ispp.org/resources/academy/, email theacademy@ispp.org, or follow the #ISPPAcademy hashtag on Twitter!
Gizem Arikan
Director of the ISPP Academy
Associate Professor, Trinity College Dublin
ECC on the Web
The ISPP invites you to stay engaged with the ECC online through the society’s Twitter (@PolPsyISPP), Facebook(https://fb.com/PolPsyISPP), Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/intlsocpolpsych), blog (https://ispp.org/category/ispp-blog/) and medium (https://polpsyispp.medium.com/) sites. Stay up-to-date on conferences, publications, open positions, and discussions of interest to scholars in political psychology through our social various media!
We are always on the look-out for new and interesting articles to be featured in our ECC blog. Articles can range from communicating your research to a more general audience to writing about current social issues in the world through an interdisciplinary, political, sociological, and/or psychological lens. If you are willing to contribute, please get in touch with us through the e-mail address ecc@ispp.org.
