Speech by our honorary graduate, Julian VIERLINGER

>The Graduation Ceremony for the Class of 2020 (postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic) took place as part of the Sciences Po's 150th Anniversary Festival, on Friday 16 September 2022.

We were delighted to hear from Julian Vierlinger, a graduate of the Master's in Political Science, Political Theory track, in a speech to all students of the School of Research's Class of 2020. Many thanks and congratulations to Julian.

Julian is currently a PhD student in political science at the European University Institute (EUI). His thesis on the topic of "Demanding Statehood from the Tribe: Corruption and Political Contestation in Lebanon and Iraq" is supervised by Miriam A. Golden a full professor at the EUI.

Dear friends, dear colleagues,

Good afternoon – and thank you for granting me the honour of addressing you here, today.

I was asked to talk about how Sciences Po has accompanied me on my professional path – and well, the first answer is, it never left my side!

• After my undergraduate years in beautiful Menton, Sciences Po sent me off to study and work in Beirut, but then called me back for the masters at the school of research.
• After my masters, Sciences Po sent me off to the European University Institute to pursue my doctoral degree, but called me back to teach – once again, in Menton.
• And today, two years after thinking that my time as a student on the Paris campus was doomed to conclude in plague and isolation, I am called back to speak to you.

Sciences Po never leaves your side, and it keeps calling back – but the beautiful thing about this institution is that everytime it does call for you, it has something new and exciting to offer – such as, today, this beautiful new campus. And as I can see, I am not the only one to answer the call.

But of course, the question goes further than that: to be accompanied is just another, or perhaps the correct way, to refer to being taught. So what did Sciences Po teach me?

Well, it taught me many things — for example, how to ever put a bit too much on my agenda, and how to continuously underestimate how much time a task at hands really takes; – we may refer to these things as “professional courage”. Sciences Po also taught me perseverence, diligence, ambition – and French! But most of all, it taught me to be what we could refer to as a “curious generalist”. What do I mean by that?

Being a curious generalist means, in essence, daring to look for answers to your questions in realms outside your “field”.

• You are a student of political theory, but you want to learn statistics, macro-economics, and psychoanalysis? Do it!
• You write your thesis on the history of the term “corruption”, but you want to go to Lebanon to talk to protestors and revolutionaries? Do it!
• You do research on democracy, but think joining the Red Cross can teach you something about citizenship? Do it!

Being a curious generalist means to have the courage to think broadly, to venture beyond familiar horizons, to really dare to learn. And as paradoxical as this may seem, in our world of increasing specialization, I believe this to be a valuable asset!

We live in a world of narrow interests — both in (broadly speaking) “academic”, as well as political and economic terms. We are incentivized to dig deep and hard in our respective field – without distractions, without looking left and right, no regard for losses.

But yet, we live in a world of transversal problems: economic injustice, discrimination, climate catastrophe, corruption, democratic backlash, war – the problems we face cut across fields, so we must expand our vision.

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with specialization per se – it is the course of the collective project of science; If my PhD is teaching me anything, it would be the pleasure of knowing absolutely everything about nothing at all. But non the less, I believe we need to ensure that “fields” – academic, economic, political – communicate better within ourselves, between themselves, and with the wider citizenry. I believe this enlarged vision to be nothing less but the vocation of the “political sciences”; or at least, that is the vocation I found, or that I was taught, at Sciences Po.

Now, I am almost at the end of my time, so I will conclude by two points.

First, I would like to qualify what I said before. I may have learnt to be a convinced “curious generalist” – but I also learnt something else during my time at Sciences Po – namely, humility in front of the greatness of my peers: Dear fellow graduates of 2020 – we all might look at the world differently, we might have different approaches to its problems, and we may all have taken different lessons from our time at Sciences Po. And that is good. Looking at you today, I know I treaded with giants. I know that with your capacity, your conviction, your fervour, you will be able to overcome whatever challenge life throws at you. Looking at you today, I know that our generation will be able to suggest solutions to the world’s many problems, and injustices. Looking at you, and looking at the world, I can quote Condorcet in saying “not all is well, but all will … be well”.

Second, and finally, I wish to express my heartfelt thanks – to my esteemed professors, to my thesis supervisors Stéphane Lacroix and Astrid Von Busekist, to the administration of Sciences Po, to my colleagues, to my friends. If I am here now, it is because of you. Thank you for your company these past years – and may we always come back when called upon.

Julian VIERLINGER, Graduate of Honour | Graduation Ceremony - 16/09/22

[ October 2022 ]