When norms clash

Abstract

This thesis would not be possible without the strong support of my three supervisors, first supervisor Prof. Mathieu Segers✝, second supervisor Asst. Prof. Ferenc Laczó, and third (external) supervisor Prof. Haroon Sheikh. I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to Prof. John Parkinson for agreeing to fulfil the role of my first supervisor in the wake of Prof. Mathieu Segers' passing. I sincerely thank my first and second supervisors for their stellar attention to detail, endless well of ideas, and valuable insights during our monthly meetings. Asst. Prof. Laczó, your keen eye was integral to the betterment of my work, and I left our meetings in awe of your intelligence and vast knowledge. I also left these meetings with many new edits to implement! Prof. Segers, your extensive knowledge in all topics EUrope was invaluable to my time as a PhD as was your kindness, openness, dedication to academic freedom, and uncanny ability to elevate my spirits after even brief chats. May you rest in peace. Prof. Sheikh, I sincerely appreciate your mentorship and guidance during my nine months at the Wetenschappelijke Raad voor het Regeringsbeleid (WRR). I always felt like a core member of the team and was able to use my skills and competencies in a way that made valuable use of my limited time. My research was also made possible thanks to my amazing interviewees who, despite the challenging circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, government repression, and their challenges and responsibilities, made themselves available to share their lived experiences and knowledge with me. Thank you for giving me some of your very precious time, often offering to meet me in the evenings and on weekends as you were extremely busy. I thank my reviewers, who are also my opponents for the defence. Your comments were enlightening and challenging. They helped me improve the quality of my work and invited me to rethink my claims, expound upon my findings, and expand my thinking. For their support with translations and interviews, I would like to thank Julia Walczyk, Julia Kanert, and Jan D. Meijer. Next, I would also like to thank all of those who made my research possible from a financial and administrative point of view, such as the European Union, whose funding under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 847596) was integral to my ability to carry out and disseminate my research. The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS) at Maastricht University must also be thanked for the financial support to carry out my work, attend conferences, and disseminate my research. Of course, I also thank the History Department and the Politics and Culture and Europe (PCE) Research Cluster for always being supportive and providing a space to discuss my research, gain feedback, and share interesting vii developments in related fields. Thank you so much to LIMES and graduate school staff who provided extensive organisational, financial, academic, and training support, such as Yleen