Sandra Obradović

I am a Senior Lecturer at the School of Psychology and Counselling at the Open University (UK) and an Associate Researcher at the Electoral Psychology Observatory at the London School of Economics (UK). 

My interest in social psychology, as a lens through which to view the world and its socio-political wonders, emerged while I was completing my BSc. in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). One particular semester I was enrolled in a introductory course to Social Psychology, while simultaneously working as a Research Assistant for the UCLA Middle & High School Diversity Project, a joint longitudinal study between UCLA’s Department of Education and Department of Psychology. This semester, I was introduced to the work of Goffman and Mead in my lectures, and engaged in data collection and literature reviews aimed at understanding the psychosocial benefits of racial/ethnic diversity in schools as part of my RA job. These experiences combined led to a growing interest in understanding the intersection of how we think, feel and see the world, and the role of relevant others, societies, cultures and institutions in shaping these processes. Shortly after graduating from UCLA in 2013, I jumped the pond to the UK to begin an MSc in Social and Cultural Psychology at the LSE. During my MSc, my research interests crystallized into a curious focus on understanding phenomena that sit at the intersection between history, psychology and politics. In particular, my MSc dissertation, which received the Hilde Himmelweit Award (2014) focused on exploring intergenerational differences in collective memory of war in a post-conflict context, discussing the implications of the silencing of criticism and diverging perspectives on the past.

To some extent it was from this project that my PhD thesis developed. My doctoral work applied theories of identity and group dynamics to examine the role of history, power and national identity in the process of supranational integration. More precisely, my work explored the tensions between historical continuity and political change in Serbia, as prospective EU member-state. Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative methods, the thesis illustrated the importance of a multi-level understanding of political change, as both a process understood and experienced through the everyday lives of citizens, and as situated in a larger, international context where national politics become shaped and constrained by larger international power-relations.

My current research projects can be divided into three, interlinking strands; 1) research on how different conceptualizations of national identity shape political attitudes and behaviours, 2) research on recognition and its implications for intergroup dynamics and selfhood, and 3) research on perceived collective continuity and its strategic mobilization in the promotion of, or resistance towards, change.

When I’m not trying to juggle the many responsibilities of an academic career I spend a lot of time trying to juggle the many responsibilities of being a social human, including travelling to visit family, spending time with friends in London and spending countless hours on the hunt for the best coffee in the city.