Ross : "Having a front-row seat to France’s rich and historic democratic culture was a fascinating experience !"

Tell us a bit about yourself

My name is Ross and I studied in France for around four months on the OxPo exchange scheme as part of my DPhil at the University of Oxford. I’m originally from England and studied in London before moving to Oxford in 2014 to read Political Theory.

What decided you to study in France in the first place?

Originally, I had vague plans for a short research trip to France but not for an extended stay. However, while writing my thesis it became apparent that I was going to need access to a French university library so I could consult the Francophone literature on my subject. The opportunity to participate in an exchange between the University of Oxford and Sciences Po came up, so I took it.

What has been the biggest challenge whilst in France?

I arrived at the Centre de recherches politiques de Sciences Po (CEVIPOF) in Paris knowing nobody in the whole city, and with little idea of what to expect. I quickly settled into what was a friendly and encouraging academic community. The excellent library at Sciences Po made my research as straightforward as it could be, leaving me plenty of time to indulge in the intellectual and cultural life of Sciences Po and Paris. I had arrived in Paris with a clear idea of what I wanted to achieve and planned to use my anticipated social isolation as an opportunity to get through a lot of reading. Instead, I found myself engaging with and learning from the research of my peers at Sciences Po. Aside from just being interesting, this brought fresh perspectives to my work and greatly aided its development. Additionally, I was able to take a couple of trips to do primary source research at the archives of the Institut Mémoires de l'édition contemporaine (IMEC) held at the beautiful Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Ardenne near Caen, Normandy—well worth a trip even if you aren’t interested in the archives!

Ross in the French Pyrénées (Pyrénées-Atlantique)

Can you share a special memory from your time in France with us?

I was lucky enough that my stay coincided with the build-up to the 2017 French presidential and legislative elections. For a political theorist, having a front-row seat to France’s rich and historic democratic culture was a fascinating experience, especially in such a year of profound political change, with the prevailing party system collapsing.

How did studying in France change who you are as a person and impact your career?

My participation in the OxPo exchange scheme and the Entente Cordiale Scholarship Programme opened doors for me both in France as well as in the wider Francophone world. Because of the linguistic and cultural skills I had the opportunity to develop, after I left Paris I wound up living in the south of France and then on to a stay in Montréal. For those considering studying in France, I very much recommend it.