Professor Dr. Franz Bernhardt

Biography

Franz Bernhardt is a Political Geographer and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Aalborg University, involved in the 'Enacting Citizenship Solidarity: Below' (ECS) research project. He previously worked as an ESRC Wales Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Geography at Swansea University. Bernhardt holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Politics from the University of Stirling, a Master of Letters in International Political Theory from the University of St. Andrews, and a Ph.D. in Human Geography from Swansea University. His doctoral thesis focused on urban, regional, and national imaginaries shaped by the community effects of commitments to hospitality for refugees and asylum seekers. His research interests include political geographies of migration, cities, nationalism, and citizenship, with publications in esteemed journals such as Political Geography and Geographical Journal, as well as contributions to edited collections. His postdoctoral project explores the political struggles for national independence in sub-state contexts and their impact on attitudes towards asylum politics.

Research Interests

Experience