Professor Emeritus and Researcher Nonna Mayer Receives the Title of Doctor Honoris Causa of the Department of Sociology

Nonna Mayer, a distinguished French political scientist, Professor Emeritus at Sciences Po, and researcher at the CNRS, has been awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Department of Sociology at the School of Economics and Political Sciences of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Professor Mayer served as president of the French Political Science Association from 2005 to 2016. Since 2015, her research has focused on the factors driving the electoral gains of the European extreme radical right, with particular attention to the roles of gender, sexism, and social precarity in shaping voting behaviour.

At the same time, she investigates changes in racism and antisemitism, drawing especially on data from the annual ‘Racism Barometer’. Her work also examines intercultural relations between majority and minority groups, with a focus on interactions of Jewish and Muslim communities.

The award ceremony was held on Thursday, 19 February 2026, in the University’s Great Hall.

Proceedings opened with welcoming remarks by the Rector, Professor Gerasimos Siasos.

Next, Valia Aranitou, Associate Professor and Vice-Chair of the Department of Sociology, spoke of Nonna Mayer’s work and personal qualities.

The formal conferment then took place with Professor Emmanouil Spyridakis, Chair of the Department of Sociology, reading the official citation.

Following that, the Dean of the School of Economics and Political Sciences, Professor Nikolaos Eriotis, invested the honouree with the academic gown of the School.

The ceremony closed with the awardee, Professor Emeritus and researcher Nonna Mayer, giving a talk on ‘French Democracy in Distress’.

In his welcome address, the Rector, Professor Gerasimos Siasos, said, among other things: ‘We are here to acknowledge a leading academic whose pioneering work has shaped the field of political sociology.

At a time when European societies, like many others worldwide, face tension, uncertainty, and growing polarisation, Professor Nonna Mayer’s work offers something of exceptional value: a sober, evidence-based and methodologically sound understanding of the phenomena that threaten—or reshape—our democracies.

She engages directly with public discourse, contributes to the institutions of human rights, and remains constantly vigilant against all forms of discrimination.

Over the course of her career, Professor Mayer has devoted herself to studying voting behaviour and political participation, analysing the crucial dynamics that shape modern democracies. Her research sheds light on challenges to social cohesion and democratic resilience.

For the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, tonight’s conferment carries a deeper significance. Through this act, our Institution highlights the vital role of the social and political sciences in understanding and strengthening modern democracies. At the same time, it renews its historic mission as a space for free thought and critical learning, affirming that academic knowledge must address the pressing issues of today with courage, intellectual integrity, and a strong sense of responsibility’.

Photos: Dimitris Konstantinidis