Julia Smirnova
(Re)-Collecting Europe: Journalism Residency 2020

Julia Smirnova works as a freelance journalist in London and writes for German media such as DER SPIEGEL, WELT or ZEIT ONLINE. The project that she will work on during the time of the residency is titled: “Constructing identities – the cases of Wales and Scotland“.

"In my project, I am going to research the independence movements in Wales and Scotland in the light of constructing identities. What does it mean to Welsh or Scottish today? What narratives dominate media and culture? What roles do indigenous languages play? I am particularly interested in comparison between Scotland and Wales. In the recent general election, SNP with its firm commitment to the second independence referendum, gained a major victory in Scotland. Compared to that, Plaid Cymru’s results in Wales were only modest. What are the differences between Wales and Scotland? Why did one national movement has gained a much bigger momentum that the other and can it change in the future?"