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Career and Accomplishments

Nonna Mayer belongs to the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) since 1974. She is professor at the Centre for political research of Sciences Po (CEVIPOF) and in charge of the Political sociology programme in the research master of Sciences Po on Politics and Societies in Europe. She is visiting professor at the Stanford Overseas Program in Paris since 1991. She has a PhD in political science from Sciences Po and she is a doctor honoris causa of the Free University of Brussels (ULB).

Her main fields of expertise are electoral sociology, right wing extremism, racist and anti-Semitic attitudes and anti racist and anti RWE mobilizations. She has written or edited a dozen books among which The French Voter Decides (1993) and L'électeur a ses raisons (1997), with D. Boy, Ces Français qui votent Le Pen (2002), La démocratie à l'épreuve : une nouvelle approche de l'opinion des Français (2002, with G.Grunberg, P. M. Sniderman), Le nouveau désordre électoral. Les leçons du 21 avril 2002 (2004, with B.Cautrès), L'altermondialisme en France. La longue histoire d’une nouvelle cause (2005, with E.Agrikoliansky and O.Fillieule), Extreme Right Activists in Europe. Through the Magnifying Glass (2006, with B. Klandermans).

Her current research projects are about racism and anti-Semitism in France and in Europe. She is appointed expert for the annual survey on racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia of the French National Consultative Commission for Human Rights (CNCDH), involved in the Racism and Xenophobia European Network (RAXEN) and member of the international Group Focused Enmity project (GFE).

Statement of Views

In 2005, I was elected president of the French Political Science Association. One of my major aims is to develop cooperation between our two associations, and beyond with the other European political science associations. We have different histories, different intellectual traditions, different definitions of what is science, and what is politics. Time has come to confront our differences, question our methods, compare our approaches. Such a confrontation can strengthen our discipline and help it to be more in touch with the problems of a changing world.