In the latest episode of the #uniquelyEUI anniversary series, Sergio Puig, Director of the Max Weber Programme, sits down with Fellows Yasemin Akçagüner and Roberto Valli. As the EUI celebrates 50 years, the programme marks a milestone of its own: its first Fellows arrived in Florence in 2006. Twenty years on, it is the largest international postdoctoral programme in the social sciences and humanities in Europe, welcoming around 65 Fellows from all over the world each year.
The discussion highlights a defining feature of the programme: its interdisciplinarity. Fellows in history, law, economics, and the political and social sciences work side by side in Florence, and for Professor Puig, it is the weight the humanities carry in that exchange that sets the programme apart.
The episode shows what this looks like in practice. Akçagüner, a historian of science and medicine, and Valli, a political scientist, describe how sharing a space has changed the questions they ask and taught them to explain their work beyond their own field. The conversation also makes the case for research done for its own sake, at a time when universities face growing pressure to prove their usefulness.
This video is part of an anniversary series celebrating 50 years of research excellence at the EUI. Each episode highlights what defines the EUI academic units and how their legacies are carried forward today. Follow the series under #uniquelyEUI.
Watch the full episode on YouTube.