Not long into our tenure as Editors of “Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism (SEN)”, we sent out a call for new members of the editorial team. At the time, SEN was a fully student-run journal, so that nearly all of the applications that we received were from under- or postgraduate students. 

One application, however, stood out, which was not submitted by a student. Rather, it came from a highly accomplished research analyst who – as her cover letter noted – was about to retire from her role in the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and wanted to stay engaged in academic discussions about issues of ethnicity and nationalism. This was the application by Elizabeth Teague, an esteemed colleague and dear friend who sadly passed away in early May.

During her time with SEN, Elizabeth worked both as an Editorial Board member and Book Review Editor. Her academic knowledge, intellectual sharpness and research rigour, coupled with her deep sense of responsibility and collegiality, made her an invaluable member of our team. She was always engaged with the content of the journal, and provided unique perspectives that added to our academic discussions. Her expertise of Russian politics was second to none, and we felt privileged when she shared (non-classified) details about her time at Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. 

Elizabeth loved books, and was an excellent writer and reader. She continued to write analyses of Russian politics until recently, and always knew which book to recommend, either for academic or non-academic reading purposes. She was an outstanding colleague with exceptional academic and interpersonal skills. It was an honour and a pleasure to work with her, and we will miss her deeply.

Carolyn Heitmeyer and Ulrike Theuerkauf (SEN Editors 2010-2014)