About Antonio Manuel Álvarez García

Antonio Manuel Álvarez García is a PhD candidate in Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM). He is currently doing his thesis on the European dimensions of the Catalan pro-independence movement (2012-2019). He started his dissertation in 2021 and he is meant to defend it at the end of this year. While writing his thesis, Antonio has been teaching in the course “Teorías de la Democracia”, where he reflected on the legacy of classic political authors. Before starting his PhD, Antonio studied the master “Democracy and Government” at UAM; he previously had graduated in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF). He is also accredited to teach Philosophy in the Spanish secondary education system.

His research topic and interests

Antonio´s field of research includes nationalism, populism and European integration, usually approaching these topics from a political theory approach. His current research deals with political discourse, ideologies, and key concepts in the Catalan pro-independence movement, focusing on the European dimensions of all these elements. Among these European dimensions, Antonio highlights four: 1) how European audiences were key to determine Catalan pro-independece discourse; 2) the role of the concept of “Europe” in Catalan pro-independece discourse; 3) The presence of European populism in Catalan pro-independece discourse; 4) The relevance of the reactions from the European Union and the Council of Europe for the resolution of the Catalan crisis .

His Supervisor at IEE-ULB

During his stay at IEE-ULB, Antonio was supervised by François Foret and Álvaro Oleart. While professor Foret played an important role in bureaucratic procedures, professor Oleart was in charge of helping Antonio with his research. This help included the scheduling of a seminar -that took place on the 5th of June in the Kant room- in which Antonio presented one of his disertation chapters. Also, Oleart´s own research has been an important inspiration for Antonio´s disertation, specially regarding some key theoretical concepts such as “europeanisation” and “politicisation”.

What were the academic goals of the research visit?

Antonio chose IEE-ULB for his research visit due to the European perspective that drives his PhD dissertation. He stayed at IEE-ULB for two months, in which he analysed the EU reaction to the Catalan crisis (2012-2019). His analysis included the reading of European Parliament debates and official statements from the European Comision. More crucially, his stay at IEE-ULB allowed Antonio to interview seven European MPs -both from Spain and other States-, who shared their views on the Catalan pro-independence movement, its interaction with the European Union and its compliance with European values (Rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights). Once again, Álvaro Oleart´s help was key for making these interviews possible.

How to become a visiting researcher at the IEE-ULB

The IEE-ULB regularly welcomes visiting researchers whose work focuses on its main lines of research.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications which must contain: an up-to-date CV, a research project highlighting the link to one or several of the IEE’s four research themes, the proposed research period, and the name of the IEE-affiliated professor who has agreed to act as the researcher’s supervisor.

Applications should be send to Prof. François Foret, Dominique Dembour, and Dr. Marta Matrakova.

Decisions on visiting research applications are taken by the Council of the IEE, which gathers five times per year. Next date is:

  • 24 August 2025

Contact

For any questions about a visiting research stay at the IEE, please contact the IEE’s Research Manager, Dr. Marta Matrakova.