Working Groups

Assistant Prof. Dr. F. Asli Ergul Jorgensen is a senior lecturer in the Department of International Relations at Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. She obtained her MSc and PhD from the Department of International Relations at Middle East Technical University. Currently, she is a visiting researcher in the Department of International Relations at Aarhus University in Denmark. She was a visiting researcher at the Centre for Advanced International Theories at the University of Sussex and at Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals in 2012. 

Her research area includes Euroscepticism, Turkish identity, nationalism theories, English School Theory and the Middle East.  

Professor Natalia Chaban is Professor and Jean Monnet Chair at the Department of Media and Communication at University of Canterbury, NZ. She is the President of Ukrainian Studies Association of Australia and New Zealand, co-editor of the peer-reviewed Australian and New Zealand Journal of European Studies (since its inception in 2009) and Vice-Leader of the Work Group 2 “Perceptions and Communication” in the COST Action ENTER. She has been awarded a Senior Research Fellowship at the Institute of Advanced Studies (ISA) at the University of Bologna, Italy, and positions of Adjunct Professor at Cherkasy National University, Ukraine, and Visiting Professor at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), Lithuania. Natalia is a member of the Editorial Boards of the peer-reviewed journals European Foreign Affairs Review; Media, War, Conflict; and Cognition, Communication, Discourse.

Natalia focuses her interdisciplinary research on cognitive and semiotic aspects of political and media discourses, image and perceptions studies within the EU and IR contexts, and public diplomacy and political communication. A UC Teaching Award recipient, Natalia teaches and designs a variety of under- and post-graduate courses and supervises MA/PhD students in political communication and public diplomacy. She is a leader of multiple transnational research projects on images and perceptions in IR supported by the European Commission and NATO.

Among the latest externally funded projects are:

• Jean Monnet Project, PI, Youth Opinion and Opportunities for EU Public Diplomacy:  Youth Narratives and Perceptions of the EU and EU-Ukraine Relations in Ukraine and the three Baltic
• Jean Monnet Chair, PI, EU Foreign Policy from the ‘Outside In’ Perspective: EU external reception, perceptions and communication
• Jean Monnet Network, AI, EU Foreign Policy from the ‘Outside In’ Perspective: EU external reception, perceptions and communication
• BIE/Marsden/HRC Support Fund, PI Contested narratives of climate change: Algorithmic flows and human interactions on YouTube
• Jean Monnet Network, PI, Crisis, conflict and critical diplomacy: EU perceptions in Ukraine and Israel/Palestine (C³EU)
• EEAS/FPI.4. Co-PI, Analysis of EU Perception of the EU and EU’s Policy of the EU
• NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme and NATO Public Diplomacy Division, Co-Director, NATO Global Perceptions – Views from Asia Pacific

Natalia’s contribution to the field of EU external perceptions has been internationally recognized by scholars and stakeholders, and research design and methods have been replicated around the world. Natalia widely publishes including articles in high impact journals such as the Journal of Common Market Studies, Journal of European Integration, Cooperation and Conflict, Foreign Policy Analysis, Mobilities, Comparative European Politics. Most recently, she co-edited Special Issue of European Security “Understanding the scope and limits of EU diplomacy - Connecting strategic narrative to EU external perceptions research” (with A. Miskimmon and B. O’Loughlin, 2019) and Changing perceptions of the EU at times of Brexit: Global Perspectives (with A. Niemann and J. Spreyer, Routledge, forthcoming July 2020) (a full list of her publications is available at https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/arts/contact-us/people/natalia-chaban.html.

Recent publications (selection):

Special Issues of Peer-Reviewed Journals (since 2017)

1. Chaban, N., A. Miskimmon, B. O’Loughlin (eds) (2019) “Understanding the scope and limits of EU diplomacy - Connecting strategic narrative to EU external perceptions research”, Special Issue European Security 28(3),
2. Chaban and M. Knodt (eds.) (2020) “New Opportunities for the EU-Canada Strategic Partnership”. Special Issue Australian and NZ Journal of European Studies 11(3)
3. Chaban, N. and S. Zhabotynska (eds.) (2018) “Crisis, Conflict and Critical Diplomacy: Communicating the EU in Ukraine”, Special Issue Cognition, Communication, Discourse, 17.
4. Chaban, N., M. Knodt, and J. Headley (eds.) (2018) Special Issue “The EU and its Eastern Neighbours: Perceptions and Strategic Dialogue in the Region”, European Foreign Affairs Review, 23(1/1).
5. Chaban, N., P. Bacon, J. Burton, V. Vernygora (eds.) (2018) Special Issue “NATO Global Perceptions – Views from the Asia-Pacific Region”, Asian Security 14(1)
6. Chaban, N. and S. Zhabotynska (eds.) (2018) Special Issue “Ukraine-EU Relations: Verbal Narratives, Images, and Perceptions”, Cognition, Communication, Discourse, 17.
7. Chaban, N., M. Knodt, and A. Verdun (eds.) (2017) Special Issue “External Images of the EU – Energy Power Across the Globe”, Comparative European Politics, 15(1).

 Books:

1. Chaban, N. and O. Elgström The Ukraine Crisis and EU Foreign Policy: Roles, Images and Perceptions’, Edward Elgar (forthcoming 2020)
2. Chaban, N., A. Niemann, J. Speyer (eds.), (2020) Changing perceptions of the EU at times of Brexit: Global Perspectives, Abington and NY: Routledge.
3. Chaban, N. and M. Holland (eds.) (2018) Shaping the EU’s Global Strategy: Partners and Perceptions, Palgrave-McMillan
4. Knodt, M., Chaban, N., Nielsen, L. (2017) Bilateral Energy Relations between the EU and Emerging Powers: Mutual Perception of the EU and Brazil, China, India and South Africa, Nomos, Baden-Baden
5. Björkdahl, A., N. Chaban, J. Leslie and A. Masselot (eds.) (2015) Importing EU norms? Conceptual framework and Empirical findings, Springer, New York, Heidelberg
6. Chaban, N. and M. Holland (eds.) (2014) Communicating Europe in the Times of Crisis: External Perceptions of the European Union, Palgrave-McMillan:

Articles in Peer Reviewed Journals (since 2017)

1. Chaban, N. ‘Perceptions, expectations, motivations: Evolution of Canadian views on the EU’. Australian and New Zealand Journal of European Studies 11(3), 45-62.
2. Knodt, M. and N. Chaban, ‘New Opportunities for the EU-Canada Strategic Partnership’ Australian and New Zealand Journal of European Studies 11(3), 3-17.
3. Chaban N., Miskimmon A. and O'Loughlin B. (2019) “Strategic Narratives and Perceptions of the EU in Ukraine, Israel and Palestine”. European Security 28(3), 235-250
4. Chaban N., M. Knodt, S. Liekis, I. NG (2019) “Narrators’ Perspectives: Communicating the EU in Ukraine, Israel and Palestine in Times of Conflict”.European Security 28(3), 304-322
5. Chaban, O. Elgström, M. Knodt (2019) 'Perceptions of EU mediation and mediation effectiveness: Comparing perspectives from Ukraine and the EU', Cooperation and Conflict, 54 (4): 506-523
6. Coupe, T. and Chaban, N. (2019) Creating Europe through Culture? The impact of the European Song Contest on European identity” Empirica, first online https://rdcu.be/bP16b
7. Vernygora, V., Chaban, N., Holland, M., T. Kerikmäe (eds.) (2019) “The Asian Experience for Europe: New Perspectives”. Baltic Journal of European Studies 9(2). 3-5
8. Chaban and B. O’Loughlin (2018) The EU’s Crisis Diplomacy in Ukraine: The Matrix of Possibilities, Journal of International Affairs, 71 (1.5)
9. Chaban, M. Knodt, J. Headley (2018) “The EU and its Eastern Neighbours: Perceptions and Strategic Dialogue in the Region”, European Foreign Affairs Review, 23(1/1), 1-22.
10. Chaban and O. Elgström (2018) “On a Journey with Uncertain Destination. Metaphors and Images of the European Union in Russian and Ukrainian Media after Brexit Vote”, European Foreign Affairs Review, 23(1/1), 159-176.
11. Chaban and A. Chaban (2018) “Communicating Europe beyond its borders: Imagining the EU in Ukraine post-Maidan”, European Foreign Affairs Review, 23(1/1), 119-138.
12. Elgström, N. Chaban, M. Knodt, P. Müller, S. Pardo (2018) “Perceptions of the EU’s role in the Ukraine-Russian and the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts: A biased mediator?”, International Negotiation, 23(2), 299–318.
13. Chaban, P. Bacon, J. Burton, V. Vernygora (2018) “NATO Global Perceptions – Views from the Asia-Pacific Region”, Asian Security, 14(1), 1-7.
14. Chaban, S. Beltyukova, C. Fox (2018) “Communicating NATO in the Asia-Pacific Press: Comparative Analysis of Patterns of NATO’s Visibility, Capability, Evaluation, and Local Resonance”, Asian Security, 14(1), 66-81.
15. Chaban, N. and O’Loughlin, B. (2018) “The EU’s Crisis Diplomacy in Ukraine: The Matrix of Possibilities”, ColumbiaJournal of International Affairs, 71 (1.5).
16. Chaban and Pardo, S. (2018) “Understanding EU External Perceptions: Theorising Local ‘Cultural Filters’ in the Normative Power Approach (case-study of textbooks)” Australian and New Zealand Journal of European Studies, 10(1), 64-78.
17. Chaban and S. Zhabotynska (2018) “Political Images and Perceptions at the Interdisciplinary Crossroads”, Cognition, Communication, Discourse, 17, 13-23
18. Chaban and O. Elgström (2018) “Constructing Bridges and Fostering Growth: Interdisciplinary Insights into European Union Role Conceptions and Prescriptions”,Cognition, Communication, Discourse, 17, 24-36
19. Chaban, A. Miskimmon, B. O’Loughlin (2017), “The EU’s Peace and Security Narrative: Views from EU Strategic Partners in Asia”,Journal of Common Market Studies,55(6): 1273.–1289.
20. Chaban and S. Kelly (2017) “Tracing the evolution of EU images using a case-study of Australia and New Zealand", Journal of Common Market Studies, 55(4): 691–708.
21. Chaban, O. Elgström and O. Gulyaeva (2017) “Russian Images of the European Union: Before and after Maidan”, Foreign Policy Analysis, 13(2): 480-99.
22. Chaban, M. Knodt, and A. Verdun (2017) “Perceptions of the EU as a Global Normative Energy Actor in the Eyes of BRICS and EU ‘Big 3’”, Comparative European Politics, 15(1): 1-22. 
23. Bain J. and N. Chaban (2017) “Emerging EU Strategic Narrative?: Twitter Dialogues on the EU’s Sustainable Energy Week”, Comparative European Politics, 15(1): 135-155.

 Chapters in Edited Volumes (peer-reviewed) (since 2017):

1. Chaban, N. and O. Elgström (2020), “Theorizing External Perceptions of the EU”, in S. Gstöhl and Schunz (eds.), Studying the EU's external action: concepts, approaches, theories, Palgrave, forthcoming
2. Chaban, N. and J. Bain (2020) “Sustainable Europe: Narrative potential in the EU’s political communication” in Michèle Knodt and Jörg Kemmerzell (eds.) Handbook of Energy Governance in Europe, Springer, forthcoming
3. Speyer, J., N. Chaban, A. Niemann, (2020) “The EU as an international actor after Brexit”, in Chaban, N., A. Niemann, J. Speyer (eds.) Changing perceptions of the EU at times of Brexit: Global Perspectives, Abington and NY: Routledge, 1-24.
4. Chaban, N., A. Niemann, J. Spreyer (2020) “External Perceptions of the EU at Times of Uncertainty Post-Brexit Referendum: Conclusions” in Chaban, N., A. Niemann, J. Speyer (eds.) Changing perceptions of the EU at times of Brexit:  Global Perspectives, Abington and NY: Routledge, 281-296
5. Chaban, N. and M. Knodt (2020) “Perceptions of the EU in Ukraine after “Brexit” referendum: Images of capabilities and opportunities” in Chaban, N., A. Niemann, J. Speyer (eds.) Changing perceptions of the EU at times of Brexit: Global Perspectives, Abington and NY: Routledge, 78-95
6. Chaban, N. and I. Sabatovych (2020) “The past and the future of Ukraine’s Europeanisation: Tracing images of the EU as a normative actor and influence in Ukraine post-Maidan”, in A. Achilli (ed.) Cossacks in Jamaica, Ukraine at the Antipodes: Essays in Honor of Marko Pavlyshyn. Academic Studies Press. Forthcoming
7. Kelly, S. F. Doser and N. Chaban (2020) “Shifting frames: images of Brexit in NZ and possible consequences” in K. Haba and M. Holland (eds.) Brexit and After, Springer, forthcoming
8. Chaban, N., S. Kelly and A-M. Brady (2019) “Small States in a New Era of Public Diplomacy: New Zealand and Digital Diplomacy” in A.-M. Brady (ed.) Small States and the Changing Global Order. Springer, Cham: 75-89.
9. Chaban, S. Kelly and A. Rayroux, “Communicating the EU Externally: Media Framing of the EU’s Irregular Migration Crisis (case-studies of New Zealand and Canada)” (2018), in R. Bengtsson and M. Sundström (eds.) In The EU and the emerging global order (Essays in honour of Ole Elgström). Lund University: Lund, 197-222.
10. Chaban, N. and M. Holland (2018) “Introduction: Partners and Perceptions” , in Chaban, N. and M. Holland (eds.), Shaping the EU’s Global Strategy: Partners and Perceptions, Palgrave, 1-25.
11. Chaban, N., O. Gulyaeva, Lai, S.-Y. (2018) “Images and Perceptions as Resource in Public Diplomacy: EU images in China”, I. Sieckmann and O. Triebel (eds.)A New Responsible Power China? China's Public Diplomacy for Global Public Goods Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen e.V. (ifa) (Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations and the European Cultural Foundation (ECF)

Online Publications:

1. O’Loughlin, N. Chaban, A. Miskimmon (2017) The EU tells a good story about itself, but its Asian partners may not be hearing it, European Politics and Policy (EUROPP) Blo

Professor Michèle Knodt is a Jean Monnet Chair, ad personam, Director of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence ‚EU in Global Dialogue‘ (CEDI), Chair of the COST Network EU Foreign Policy Facing New Realities”, Co-Speaker of the TU Energy Centre and Deputy Coordinator of the Loewe Research Center “emergenCITY”. She holds a chair of Comparative Politics and European Integration at TU Darmstadt. Triple recipient of the TU Athene Teaching Award. President of European Studies Association Germany (AEI). Editor in chief of the German Political Science Quarterly.

Michèle focuses her research on EU multi-level governance, EU foreign policy, climate- and energy policy, participation, critical infrastructures, interest intermediation and EU external perceptions. She has been (co-)leading the following projects DFG-project „Governance in the expanded EU multilevel system DFG-Focus-program „Governance in the EU“. 2011-2015 Project “Challenges of European External Energy Governance with Emerging Powers“ (VolkswagenStiftung, Compagnia di San Paolo und Riksbankens Jubileumsfond),  2012-2015 Project “External Images of the EU: Images of the EU as Normative Energy Player“ (EU Commission), 2012-2015 DFG research group-project „Local knowledge formation within the EU multi-level context” part of the DFG research unit on local energy- and climate policy, DFG-Project „Local governance within the EU Multi-Level Context in climate change. A comparative Analyses in German cities“, 2011-2016 Project “EU democracy promotion within the South Caucasus and Central Asia (VolkswagenStiftung), 2011-2015 Project „Ethnic and socio-economic conflicts in Latin America (Deutsche Stiftung Friedensforschung), 2015 Jean Monnet Center of Excellence “EU in Global Dialogue” (CEDI), EU Commission, Erasmus+), Kopernikus I (ENavi) Project ‘Systemintegration’ (2016-2016, BMBF), DFG graduate school critical infrastructures (2016-2021), Kopernikus II (Ariadne) Project ‘Systemintegration’ (2020-2023). Guestprofessor: Pondicherry Indien (2010), Wien (2007), Lille (2003), Beijing (2000/2001), Boston (1998).

Michèle widely publishes on EU topics including articles in high impact journals such as the Journal of Common Market Studies, Journal of European Integration, European Foreign Affairs Review, Cooperation and Conflict, Foreign Policy Analysis, Energy Policy, Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, Energy Research & Social Science, Journal for European Environmental & Planning Law, European Policy Analysis (a full list of her publications is available here).