(De)Constructing Europe – EU-Scepticism in European Integration History
The research project embeds the ideal of the cohesion of the European Union in the history of scepticism toward European integration. On the one hand, this scepticism has conditioned and limited European integration from the beginning; on the other hand, it has created its own forms of cohesion in Europe. While, at present, the field of research is dominated by analyses stemming from political science and focusing on the recent past, this project combines historical, sociological and political approaches to form an interdisciplinary and transnational perspective. It is being carried out as a joint project by the GHI London, the GHI Rome, the GHI Warsaw and the Hamburg Institute for Social Research. Cooperation partners include the LMU Munich, Scuola Normale Superiore in Florence, Sciences Po in Strasbourg, and Queen Mary University in London. This international character considers that the breadth and historical depth of contemporary Euroscepticism only comes to light when one focuses on the interconnectedness of regional, national and European contexts. The aim is to explain Euroscepticism in its various manifestations as the result of the confrontation of transnational, mutually promoting and hindering conceptions of Europe.
The project offers a unique opportunity. It is an international network. The subprojects at the four participating institutes are carried out in continuous exchange with each other, which is ensured, among other things, by international workshops and conferences. In addition to the monographs they will write, the project members will contribute to joint publications that will set new standards for discussions about Euroscepticism and European integration.
