Anna Kende
Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest

When did you first become a member of ISPP? What prompted you to serve on the Governing Council?

I became a member of ISPP in 2016 when the Annual Meeting was held in Warsaw. The presentations and the people I met there were a huge inspiration for me and made a clear impact on my career, my success in international research and publishing. Interestingly, already at this first meeting, someone asked me whether I would serve on the GC, which I declined at the time for lack of experience both with the organization and the field. However, two years later, I accepted the invitation to become a candidate. The main reason I wanted to serve on the GC was the severe underrepresentation of scholars from Eastern and East-Central Europe both in the field of political psychology and within ISPP, therefore, I considered my participation a step toward rectifying this. I had first-hand experience with how difficult international integration is if you are not affiliated with a mainstream “Western” institution.

What is your background?

I am a psychologist by training but also have a degree in Gender Studies. I have worked as a social psychologist all my academic career.

What are your current research interests?

I have a broad interest in intergroup relations, especially in asymmetrical intergroup contexts. More specifically, my recent work has focused on the psychology of cross-group solidarity and allyship both in humanitarian crises and in the context of long-standing structural oppression.

What professional/academic achievement are you most proud of?

I am most proud of the fact that multiple PhD students of mine will be far more successful than I will ever be.

What is the best piece of career advice you have ever received?

Considering that my career started taking off more than 10 years after I earned my PhD, I can safely say that I never received a really good career advice. However, a prominent scholar from ISPP once told me that in his opinion personal relationships carry too much weight in academia. While I agreed with him about this being a problem both morally and for science, this also turned out to be a good career advice. Research collaborations turn into personal relationships and personal connections contribute to expanding once academic network. The real question is whether we can be more inclusive in building these valuable connections.

What do you find most rewarding about your time with ISPP?

At the time I served on the GC, we were faced with two crises of completely different nature. Persecuted academics in Turkey were still on trial and Covid19 pandemic broke out. Observing a trial in Istanbul and working on a new Twinning Programme for threatened scholars, as well as figuring out how to continue with our work during a pandemic was both challenging and extremely rewarding.

Anna was also the winner of ISPP’s Nevitt Sanford Award in 2023.