A Political Psychology Journey in the US by Céline Laffineur

Research Visit: Two Weeks Surrounding Myself with Political Psychology in the United States.

After spending a week in Boston to attend the APSA Political Psychology Pre-Conference at Harvard and present my research at the American Political Science Association’s (APSA) Annual Meeting, my US trip continued. Just a couple of hours away was my next destination: the Department of Political Science at Stony Brook University on Long Island, New York. For anyone working in political psychology, Stony Brook holds a special place. It is one of the few departments in the world with a dedicated focus on political psychology. The department played an important role in shaping the field in the 1970s and continues to be home to many leading scholars today.

The journey and first impressions

Getting from Boston to campus was a multi-modal adventure: train, ferry, and bus. When I arrived in Port Jefferson by ferry, I had the chance to chat with several long-standing local activists while waiting for the bus. One of them was Bill McNulty, who, at 91 years old, is still an active campaigner and a host at Stony Brook’s FM radio station, WUSB.

As Monday was Labor Day, I used some of the time to explore the area. I quickly learned a classic lesson about American suburbs: getting around without a car can feel like an extreme sport, and sidewalks are a rare luxury. The Stony Brook campus itself, however, had a movie-like charm. In the quiet mornings and evenings, when campus had largely emptied out, local deer would casually stroll across the grounds. 

Room to discuss

At regular conferences, you often get only 15 minutes (if you are lucky) to present your work before moving on to the next panellist. At Stony Brook, I had a full hour for my presentation, which easily stretched beyond that thanks to the discussion afterwards. Presenting my PhD research in more detail to a room of leading political psychologists, alongside brilliant PhD students, was a real highlight of the trip. The audience was engaged, kind, and supportive. Having the time for a thorough Q&A helped me see which parts of my research resonated most, where the framing could be clearer, and where I can further strengthen my arguments.

One-on-one perspectives

Beyond the presentation, I also had the opportunity to meet individually with faculty members working across different areas of political science and political psychology. We discussed theory, methodology, and the particularities of the US academic landscape. These one-on-one coffee chats gave me valuable space to test ideas, ask specific questions, and think through some challenges in a relaxed setting.

What I am taking away from the visit

Academic visits like this have direct as well as less obvious benefits that emerge during the preparation around the visit.

• Revisiting the bigger story: Preparing a longer talk pushed me to think about how my individual papers fit together. It was a useful opportunity to revisit, reframe, and connect different parts of my PhD research into one coherent story for a specific audience.

• Seeing the work from new perspectives: Presenting to faculty members and graduate students with different backgrounds brought a range of viewpoints into the room. It was especially valuable to hear perspectives from experienced researchers who have worked in the field for many years. Their questions and comments opened up discussions and angles that I might not have considered on my own.

• Spotting blind spots: The direct feedback was invaluable in identifying which parts of the research needed clearer framing, more explanation, or a stronger argument.

Heading home to put ideas into practice

I am returning to Amsterdam feeling energised, inspired, and eager to put everything I have learned into practice in my dissertation. A special thank you to Leonie Huddy for hosting me, and to all the faculty members and graduate students at Stony Brook who took the time to chat, ask thoughtful questions, and make my visit so worthwhile.