Marta Lorimer

I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate at University of Exeter on the Horizon2020 project ‘Integrating Diversity in the European Union.’

I work alongside Prof Richard Bellamy (UCL) and Dr Sandra Kröger (Exeter) on the normative foundations of differentiated integration in the European Union.

Prior to joining Exeter, I completed my PhD at the European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science. In my thesis, I study how far right parties integrate Europe in their ideology. Carrying out an in-depth interpretive analysis of party documents produced between 1978 and 2017 by the Italian Social Movement/Alleanza Nazionale and the French Front National, I argue that far right parties repurpose key elements of their ideology to integrate Europe in their worldview.

Journal articles based on my thesis have been published in the Journal of European Public Policy and Ethnic and Racial Studies. I have also contributed to an edited book with a chapter on the Front National’s attempts to overcome Left and Right and replace it with a distinction between ‘globalists’ and ‘patriots’.

In addition to my research, I have developed extensive teaching experience. In 2020, I taught the Master's course 'Policy-Making in the European Union' at the LSE European Institute and delivered two lectures for the European Institute's Professional Skills seminar. In 2016-2017 and 2018-2019, I taught the full-year undergraduate courses 'Government, Politics and Public Policy in the European Union’ and ‘Politics and Institutions in Europe’ in the LSE Government Department. In 2019, I taught a course on European politics to exchange students from UC Davies. In 2018 and 2019, I also taught the in the three-week LSE Summer School course 'What Kind of Europe? Crisis, Reform and the International Role of the European Union’.

In 2016-2017, I assisted in the design, management and delivery of the European Institute’s Master’s level professional skills course ‘Engaging with Europe.’

In 2017-2018, I designed and taught 'Europe: Defining an idea', a first year undergraduate course in Sciences Po Paris's European campus in Dijon.

I am a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.

In 2017, I successfully co-organised the Graduate Conference Populism: Left, Right and Centre.

Before starting my PhD, I completed a Dual Master’s Degree in European Studies at Sciences Po Paris and the LSE and worked as an Executive Officer at the LSE European Institute. Prior to that, I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Politics from Sciences Po Paris, European Campus of Dijon.

When I'm not doing research, I am usually on Twitter (@_mlorimer) or volunteering at the Islington Union Chapel.