Kaitlin Alper receives Inge Lehmann grant

23 researchers have just been awarded this year's Inge Lehmann grants from the Independent Research Fund Denmark. The grants are awarded to talented researchers early in their careers, giving them the opportunity to develop their potential as independent research leaders.

Among the grant recipients is Assistant Professor Kaitlin Alper from the Department of Political Science and Public Management at the University of Southern Denmark.

The role of language in democracy

With a grant of DKK 3.6 million, she will now examine how speaking a regional language influences people's political attitudes and behavior, such as their trust in democratic institutions and their support for secession or voting for regionalist parties.

She will examine regions such as Catalonia, Quebec and Corsica, where citizens speak multiple languages and where many feel that their language and culture are threatened by state demands for uniformity.

- We know very little about what it means for people's political attitudes and behavior when they use their regional language in everyday life, and my project aims to change that, says Kaitlin Alper.

In the research project, Kaitlin Alper will draw on insights from psychology, linguistics and political science as well as surveys to map patterns and effects of speaking a particular language.

At the same time, focus group interviews will provide insights into how language forms people's political attitudes and views on democracy in everyday interactions.

- The project will provide researchers, policymakers and citizens with new insights into how linguistic and regional differences affect the cohesion of multilingual societies - especially at a time when globalization both increases economic interdependence and can exacerbate existing center-periphery divides. I hope that my research can help address social fragmentation and maintain cohesive and legitimate polities, says Kaitlin Alper.

Paves the way for international profile and new methods

On a personal level, the grant is an important boost for Kaitlin Alper's research career.

- The Inge Lehmann grant is an important step towards my goal of becoming an Associate Professor – by strengthening my international network and providing research leadership and management experience. It also gives me the opportunity to delve into a research area that I have long wanted to focus on, and where I have only completed a small pilot project so far. I am also looking forward to working with new methods that can further strengthen my research, says Kaitlin Alper.

Kaitlin Alper's project is entitled Political Speech: Regional Languages and Political Attitudes (LANGPOL) and is being conducted in five regions in Europe and North America.

In addition to Kaitlin Alper, two other SDU researchers have been awarded an Inge Lehmann grant - read more here.