Thankfully neither of my main problems are surprises, but they're definitely still problems. So first, only one Senador in the Spanish Cortes Generales (congress/parliament) has time for an interview, so I do have at least one, but I should have more officials in order to incorporate them well into my project. I was thinking of also maybe interviewing Paco because he got his degree in history and he is really into Spanish politics (we literally talked about it for an hour today during our class); he also is really knowledgable about the different separatist/independence movements in some of the autonomous provinces. And then maybe trying to find one or two other people to ask to interview (maybe at my internship?) if any of them are familiar with these issues, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea because they aren't necessarily experts on it. My other problem is doing my discourse analysis to look for national identity because I've been able to find an archive of speeches by the president, but most of them deal with international issues as opposed to domestic ones or ones in the legislative branch which I think would be more useful for analyzing national identity. However, I'm sure I can find some with a little more searching, but if anyone has any recommendations for where to find speech transcripts for Spanish and French governments or ideas for people to ask for interviews, let me know!
In this blog the AU Global Scholars document their efforts in applying rigorous research methods to their projects in the field of international studies. The aim is to briefly present a challenge that they encountered AND the solution they came up with, such that their peers can respond and/or learn.
Emma,
ReplyDeleteI hope you're enjoying Madrid!
From what I have understood, I would advice you to narrow your research a little bit more. Instead of focusing on an issue from "national" level, try to focus on the issue from a regional or local government perspective. A random example: try "Catalan" instead of "Spanish," this would help you to get domestic results. I love Paco and I think you should totally take advantage of his knowledge. Also, ask the people at your internship. If they cannot help you then ask them if they know someone who could help you with your quest. I hope this helps and good luck!
P.S. If you are taking any of my advice then please consult with professor Seybert first :)