McMahon, Simon
PhD European Studies
Email: simon.mcmahon@kcl.ac.uk
Thesis title: “Symbolic politics and the mobilisation of identity: a study of Romanian migration in Italy and Spain”
First supervisor: Dr Alex Clarkson
Second supervisor: Dr Leila Simona Talani
Biography
Simon has previously completed a BA (Hons) in Comparative American Studies at the University of Warwick and the Universidad de Buenos Aires, before studying an MA in Philosophical Studies at the Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico, and an MA in Democracy and Government at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain. During the summer of 2011 he was a visiting fellow at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, and for the autumn of 2011 he is currently visiting researcher at the GRITIM Interdisciplinary Research Group on Immigration at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain.
Simon has won research grants and prizes from the Anglo-Spanish Society, Santander Bank, and the European Sociological Association.
Research
Simon is currently undertaking research on symbolic politics and the politicisation of immigration in Europe, focusing specifically on the case of Romanian migration in Italy and Spain. The project asks and works towards an understanding of how migrant populations are perceived and represented in national and local politics. He is particularly interested in the negotiation of identity group boundaries and insider-outsider distinctions, as well as the question of what it means for Romanians to have ‘become’ European citizens.
Simon's research interests include European politics; migration studies; the sociology of collective identity and ethnicity; and contemporary Spanish and Italian politics and society.
Teaching
“Immigration and Borders in the EU”, Applied Seminars of Development Studies, (University of West Bohemia, Czech Republic) (Summer 2011)
“The Integration of the European Union”, European & International Studies, (King’s College London, UK) (2010-2011)
Publications
Simon's publications are available to download (pdf, 440KB)