Hugh Taylor

Hugh is an International Relations of the Americas MSc student (2018/19). Here he tells us about his fieldwork trip to Buenos Aires.

Going into the field to meet with diplomats and leading analysts was a rare and eye-opening experience. With the help of the Travel Grant I was able to visit Buenos Aires where I interviewed politicians close to foreign policy design. I found the Argentines to be friendly and generous with their time. Their insight, anecdotes and insider views provided rich material for my project on how Argentina has navigated competing interests from US and China.

Each meet led to others and after a total of six weeks I met with over twenty people, as well as speaking with other students and visiting corresponding university departments. The overall result was a deeper understanding of what drives Argentina and a closer connection to my subject. I would hugely recommend fieldwork to future students.