Elin Royles

Reader Aberystwyth University

ear@aber.ac.uk 01970622690

Elin’s research and teaching are associated with the areas of: Territorial Politics and Post-devolution UK politics; Sub-state diplomacy and Nation-building; Sub-state climate change & sustainable development policy; Civil society; Language planning and policy.

She is currently the Chair of the Aberystwyth University Branch of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol; Member of the Department of International Politics Management Team; Director of Welsh Medium Studies, Department of International Politics; Member of Executive Committee and leader on the ‘Language, Culture and Identities’ Theme of the Centre for Welsh Politics and Society – WISERD @ Aberystwyth.

Elin Royles Bio

Shifting forms of governance and the grassroots politics of separatism

Shifting forms of governance and the grassroots politics of separatism will undertake comparative case studies in regions where separatist movements are in flux, to understand perceptions of and engagement in separatist conflicts from the bottom-up. Start date provided is that of the WISERD Civil Society Centre. Work packages will have their own individual start and…

Research Team: Anwen Elias (Aberystwyth University), Elin Royles (Aberystwyth University), Núria Franco-Guillén (Aberystwyth University), Rhys Jones (Aberystwyth University)

Young People and Brexit

How are young people responding to Brexit, and how does it affect their political engagement? Young People & Brexit is an interdisciplinary study of how young people in the UK feel about and are responding to the most significant policy issue of this Parliament: the UK’s exit from the European Union. Drawing on both existing…

Research Team: Elin Royles (Aberystwyth University), Rhys Jones (Aberystwyth University), Sioned Pearce (Cardiff University), Stuart Fox (Brunel University London)

Integrative Mechanisms for Addressing Spatial Justice and Territorial Inequalities in Europe (IMAJINE)

The IMAJINE project (Integrative Mechanisms for Addressing Spatial Justice and Territorial Inequalities in Europe) is one of the largest social sciences projects to be financed as part of the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme. The five-year project aims to come up with new policy approaches for tackling inequality and promoting a fairer distribution of resources across the EU….

Research Team: Elin Royles (Aberystwyth University), Michael Woods (Aberystwyth University), Rhys Dafydd Jones (Aberystwyth University), Rhys Jones (Aberystwyth University)

Education, Language & Identity

Overview The project used interviews and questionnaires to investigate the types of civic participation and conceptions of language and identity promoted within the statutory education system, and within civil society organisations working with young people, in both Wales and Scotland. In the project’s initial stages the four co-Is undertook around a total of 15-20 interviews with national-level elite…

Research Team: Elin Royles (Aberystwyth University), Fiona O'Hanlon (University of Edinburgh), Kirstie Macleod (University of Edinburgh), Lindsay Paterson (University of Edinburgh), Rhys Jones (Aberystwyth University)

Centre For Welsh Politics and Society

The Centre for Welsh Politics and Society / WISERD@Aberystwyth aims to use research on Welsh politics and society, comparative studies of Wales and other nations and regions, and analyses of Wales’s global connections, to make internationally-significant cutting-edge contributions to social science theories, debates and literature. Our research is organized around three key themes: Global Connections…

Research Team: Anthonia Onyeahialam (Aberystwyth University), Anwen Elias (Aberystwyth University), Dyfan Powel (Aberystwyth University), Elin Royles (Aberystwyth University), Jesse Heley (Aberystwyth University), Laura Jones (Aberystwyth University), Marc Welsh (Aberystwyth University), Michael Woods (Aberystwyth University), Rhys Dafydd Jones (Aberystwyth University), Rhys Jones (Aberystwyth University), Sophie Yarker (Manchester University), Taulant Guma (Edinburgh Napier University)

The Routledge Handbook of Language Policy and Planning cover

Books and Book Chapters

Governance, complexity, and multi-level language policy and planning

Though there is general awareness that language policy is a multi-level activity, there has been little systematic analysis of how interactions between actors and institutions at different territorial scales can influence language policy development. By engaging with two public policy approaches, multi-level governance and new institutionalism, this chapter develops a multi-level institutional framework to systematically…

Civil Society | October 2023

Journal Articles

Explaining the salience of secessionist partyconstitutional demands for independence

Demands for independence have increased across Europe in the last decade,but there are limits to our understanding of what makes secessionist partiesmore ambiguous or assertive on independence. This article’s originalcontribution to the literature on regionalist parties in Western Europe is inaddressing gaps in understanding of secessionist party strategy.Consequently, its original theoretical contribution is to enrich…

Civil Society, Localities | August 2023

Books and Book Chapters

Civil Society, Equalities and Inclusion

Policy experts reflect on the first twenty years of self-governance in Wales. Following a 1997 referendum, the United Kingdom established the Welsh Parliament and began a process known as “devolution,” granting Wales increasing powers of self-governance over the next twenty years. This collection reflects on the course of Welsh devolution and the emergence of a…

Civil Society, Inequalities, Localities | Trust, human rights and civil society within mixed economies of welfare | September 2022

Books and Book Chapters

Examining the Political Origins of Language Policies

Chapter in Language, Policy and Territory. Huw Lewis and Elin Royles analyse the origins of specific language policies and trace their development over time. They argue that existing literature on language policy fails to identify how and why particular choices emerge and how these are related to political factors. As a conceptual framework, Lewis and…

Civil Society | July 2022

Journal Articles

The state, civil society and the shadow state: Analysing three vectors of relationality

The term shadow state has become popular within the social sciences as a way of describing all voluntary, non-profit or third sector organisations, and their role in providing services of different kinds. Our main aim in this article is to examine the usefulness of the concept of the shadow state as a way of analysing…

Civil Society, Localities | August 2020

Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space 38(6) cover

Journal Articles

Reclaiming authenticity: The spaces and scales of national sincerity

Environmental and Planning C: Politics and Space 38(6) pp 1091-1107 At present, there seems to be somewhat of a paradox between critical academic and more political and popular understandings of authenticity. At one level, the notion of authenticity has become passé, almost a dirty word, for critical social theorists and human geographers: being something that…

Civil Society, Localities | April 2020

Journal Articles

Language policy in multi-level systems: A historical institutionalist analysis

Efforts are underway to develop a stronger political science perspective regarding the practice of language policy to establish language policy as a distinct field of public policy studies. The article’s original theoretical contribution is to develop a framework, grounded in historical institutionalism, to analyse the multi-level institutional factors that influence language policy choices relating to…

Civil Society, Inequalities | July 2019

Reports and Briefings

Evaluation, Impact and Outcomes in working with children and young people in regional and minority language revitalisation efforts

Despite the commonalities in their work and in the opportunities and challenges that they face, prior to this workshop, there has been little interaction between organisations working with children and young people in language promotion across the four cases: Wales, Scotland, the North of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. As a result, the aims…

Education, Inequalities | Education, Language & Identity | May 2019

Video

Young People – Brexit Cymraeg

Thoughts from young people about the UK’s EU Referendum.

Civil Society, Localities | Young People and Brexit | June 2017

News

‘Demands for independence’: new research explains secessionist party strategy

18th October 2023 | Elin Royles

New research argues Plaid Cymru downplayed its demands for Welsh independence to prioritise vote-seeking goals between 2003 and 2015, and foregrounded calling for independence after 2019, with the new party leadership spurring this shift in the dramatically changed political context of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Demands for independence have increased across parts of…

Civil Society | Centre For Welsh Politics and Society

Media

Analysis of Plaid Cymru in the media

27th July 2023 | Anwen Elias, Elin Royles

Analysis of Plaid Cymru and its new leader by WISERD co-director, Dr Anwen Elias and Dr Elin Royles from the Centre for Welsh Politics and Society at Aberystwyth University appeared in The Conversation on 17 July. It was also republished in Golwg on 20 July and the Western Mail on 22 July.

Civil Society

Blog

Plaid Cymru’s new leader faces tough challenges ahead of next elections

17th July 2023 | Anwen Elias, Elin Royles

Rhun ap Iorwerth was appointed as Plaid Cymru’s new leader mid-June 2023. He replaced Adam Price, who stood down in response to a damaging report which found evidence of a culture of sexual harassment, bullying and misogyny in the party. An immediate priority for ap Iorwerth is to implement the report’s 82 recommendations. These include introducing new policies…

Civil Society

News

Head / Heart: Framing Future Wales

16th April 2023 | Anwen Elias, Elin Royles, Núria Franco-Guillén, Rhys Jones

Exhibition held at the Bandstand, Aberystwyth 13 –15 April 2023 This exhibition was the first related to our ongoing project that uses photography to understand how people think about independence in Wales, Scotland and Catalonia. For these nations, becoming independent would mean leaving the state which they are currently a part of (the UK and…

Civil Society | Centre For Welsh Politics and Society, Shifting forms of governance and the grassroots politics of separatism

News

New chapters for CWPS-WISERD on language policy and planning

23rd September 2022 | Elin Royles, Rhys Jones

Three Aberystwyth University academics have written chapters in a new book that celebrates Professor Colin Williams’ contribution to the field of language policy and planning. Language, Policy and Territory contains 18 chapters by Williams’ former students, colleagues and collaborators. These include Professor Rhys Jones, Dr Huw Lewis and Dr Elin Royles, who are based at…

Civil Society, Localities

News

Better evaluation and funding can improve plans to promote minority languages

12th November 2019 | Elin Royles, Fiona O'Hanlon, Lindsay Paterson, Rhys Jones

Efforts to promote minority languages among children and young people would benefit from improving the way projects are evaluated, and from adequate funding. These are among the key findings of research into minority language promotion activities in the Celtic nations. Academics at Aberystwyth and Edinburgh Universities conducted research into the activities of organisations in Scotland,…

Civil Society, Education, Localities | Education, Language & Identity

News

What does the future hold for languages in a post-Brexit UK?

20th September 2017 | Dave Sayers, Elin Royles

As the debates and scrutiny of the EU Withdrawal Bill continue, Aberystwyth University is hosting a conference tomorrow (21 September) on the implications of Brexit for language policy. The event is organised and sponsored by the Language, Culture and Identity Research Network of the Wales Institute for Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods (WISERD)…

Civil Society | Education, Language & Identity

Media

Dr Elin Royles interview regarding ‘UK Language Policy after Brexit 2017: The influence of Devolution’

12th September 2017 | Elin Royles

Civil Society

Media

Dr Elin Royles discusses the 2017 general election on BBC’s ‘Good Morning Wales’

12th June 2017 | Elin Royles

Civil Society

Media

Professor Rhys Jones, Dr Elin Royles and Dr Dyfan Powel’s work on Brexit, language and identity features in Golwg Magazine

8th June 2017 | Dyfan Powel, Elin Royles, Rhys Jones

Civil Society, Education, Localities | Education, Language & Identity

News

Young People and Brexit

22nd March 2017 | Dyfan Powel, Elin Royles, Rhys Jones, Sioned Pearce, Stuart Fox

WISERD has recently been awarded ESRC funding to carry out a new interdisciplinary study into how young people in the UK feel about, and are responding to, the most significant policy issue of this Parliament: the UK’s exit from the European Union. Young People and Brexit will include new and existing WISERD research, employing a variety…

Civil Society | Young People and Brexit, Young People and the EU Referendum

News

Brexit and Wales – The Key Questions

27th January 2017 | Elin Haf Gruffydd, Elin Royles, Michael Woods, Rhys Dafydd Jones, Rhys Jones

Over eighty people packed the Morlan Centre in Aberystwyth on Wednesday 25th January for the launch of the WISERD Centre for Welsh Politics and Society, with a lively discussion on ‘Brexit and Wales – the Key Questions’. Following a week in which the Prime Minister Theresa May had set out her plans for negotiations…

Civil Society, Localities | Migrants, Minorities and Engagement in Local Civil Society

Media

BBC Radio Cymru interview two WISERD researchers on future projects

25th January 2017 | Elin Royles, Rhys Dafydd Jones

Dr Rhys Dafydd Jones and Dr Elin Royles were interviewed on BBC Radio Cymru (Dr Rhys Dafydd Jones on Post Cyntaf, and Dr Elin Royles on Post Prynhawn) talking about the Brexit debate in Aberystwyth and the launch of the WISERD Centre for Welsh Politics and Society.

Civil Society

News

IMAJINE project launches in Brussels

19th January 2017 | Anwen Elias, Elin Royles, Maria Plotnikova, Michael Woods, Rhys Dafydd Jones, Rhys Jones

The IMAJINE project (Integrative Mechanisms for Addressing Spatial Justice and Territorial Inequalities in Europe) led by the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods (WISERD) team at Aberystwyth University was launched in Brussels on Wednesday 18th January 2017, with a meeting of the consortium partners. IMAJINE is a pioneering new research project…

Inequalities, Localities | Integrative Mechanisms for Addressing Spatial Justice and Territorial Inequalities in Europe (IMAJINE)

News

WISERD Civil Society Seminar – Education, language and identity. Creating devolved education systems in Scotland and Wales.

30th March 2016 | Elin Royles, Rhys Jones

Dr Elin Royles reflects on the WISERD Civil Society Seminar that took place at Aberystwyth University on 16 March 2016: How do education policies and policies guiding the work of organisations working with young people attempt to influence their sense of identities? That was the question guiding Prof Rhys Jones and Dr Elin…

Civil Society | Education, Language & Identity

Conference

National Eisteddfod: The constitutional demands of European nationalist parties

3rd August 2022

Presented by Anwen Elias and Elin Royles What type of constitutional demands have nationalist parties across Europe made in the last three decades? What type of arguments have they used to justify demands? How does Wales compare with Scotland, Catalonia and Galicia? Dr Anwen Elias and Dr Elin Royles discuss IMAJINE project findings.

Workshop

Evaluation, Impact and Outcomes in working with children and young people in regional and minority language revitalisation efforts

25th February 2019 | Cardiff

We have published a briefing report ‘Evaluation, Impact and Outcomes in working with children and young people in regional and minority language revitalisation efforts’ that reports on the main discussions of a workshop organised by the Wales Institute for Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods (WISERD), ESRC-funded Civil Society Research Centre project on Education,…

Seminar

Modern Welsh Politics – WISERD-CWPS at the Eisteddfod

7th August 2018 | Cardiff

Hosted by the WISERD Centre for Welsh Politics and Society, featuring Dr Rhys Dafydd Jones. More details to follow.

Conference

Big Ideas from a Small Nation

6th March 2018 | London

Due to the threat of industrial action by the University and College Union (UCU) on this date we have decided to cancel this event. The Wales Institute for Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods (WISERD), the Institute of Welsh Affairs (IWA) and the Learned Society of Wales invite you to an evening of debate…

Conference

Young People and Brexit – One year on

22nd June 2017 | London

The EU referendum was one of the most remarkable events in British politics for generations: it led to a redefining of the relationship between the UK and the European Union, the resignation of a sitting Prime Minister, to more young people voting than in any election since the 1990s, and it is now related to…

Seminar

BREXIT and Wales – The Key Questions

25th January 2017 | Aberystwyth

Launch of the WISERD Centre for Welsh Politics and Society

Seminar

Education, Language & Identity. Creating devolved education systems in Scotland and Wales

16th March 2016 | Aberystwyth

Presenters: Dr Rhys Jones and Dr Elin Royles (Aberystwyth University) and Professor Lindsay Paterson and Dr Fiona O’Hanlon (University of Edinburgh) Chair: Dr Huw Lewis Location: Interpol Room, Main Hall, Aberystwyth University Much has been written in various disciplines about the role played by governmental organisations – most notably statutory and more informal educational institutions – in…

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