Alina Sayfutdinova
PhD student
I am a PhD student in the Political Science Program at Carleton University. I hold a Master’s degree in European, Russian and Eurasian Studies studies, with a concentration in European and European Union Studies at Carleton university. My bachelor’s degree is in Politics and Governance from Ryerson University.
My graduate research project at Carleton was focused on the issue of energy security. I examined how EU-Russia energy relations have changed from 2000 until 2018 by analyzing how four central discourses — liberalisation, interdependence, supply security, and environmentalism — have been employed over that period.
Recently, in my PhD program, I have been stimulated by the topic of the democratic deficit in the EU. As in the years since the economic crisis, the politics of the European Union has often been discussed in terms of a democratic deficit, a lack of trust in governing institutions, and the widespread resurgence of populism and nationalism. A number of theorists have related these outcomes to the fact that a European demos or “people” does not appear to have taken root strongly enough across the EU’s member states in the European population.
I am also the recipient of several research grants: Research Internships in EU Studies and EU-Canada Relations in Europe; an internship with the BEAR Network’s Graduate Mobility Grant; the BEAR Network’s Summer School Mobility Grant; and the Magna fund for Russian Studies. My academic pursuits would not be possible without the help and support of many colleagues and professors at both Ryerson and Carleton university, and I am ever grateful for the encouragement and support from faculty members at these institutions.