On 26 May 2023, the Hellenic Observatory hosted its 10th Biennial PhD Symposium on Contemporary Greece and Cyprus. The event, which took place at the London School of Economics and Political Science, gathered young researchers from across the globe to exchange knowledge and promote innovative and cutting-edge research on political, social, and economic issues in Greece and Cyprus.
Karmen Misiou, Researcher at the EUI Department of Political and Social Sciences, presented her paper titled Never on Sunday! The impact of public holiday legislation on non-core groups’ status & identity, examining how an ethnoreligious outsider, the Sephardi community of Salonica in the 1920s, responded to a particular policy of national homogenisation: the Sunday closing law. Using novel data on entrepreneurship and name choices, Misiou's paper provides empirical evidence on the effect of nation-building on social status and assimilation efforts.
During the PhD Symposium, Misiou received the Nikos Mouzelis Award for Best Paper, in recognition of her outstanding research potential.
"I am exceedingly honoured to receive this prize. This award gives me more confidence to explore the full potential of my research", she shared upon receiving the prize.