Actors, concepts, controversies: the conceptual politics of European integration

ABSTRACT

The paper is a contribution to research methodology. It proposes a useful methodological import into the range of interpretative approaches in Political Science – the study of Conceptual Politics. Drawing on methodology and categories developed in Conceptual History, Conceptual Politics is understood as the political and rhetorical moves, strategies, debates and their actors, that coin, shape or reflect political concepts in both institutional and social reality and its perception, and with regard to their past and present meanings, understandings and practices. The main methodological premise and also the distinguishing trait with regard to other interpretative approaches is this analytical focus on concepts: A concept is a word or a cluster of words that functions as a nodal point in a political controversy. Concepts are socially constructed factors and indicators of the reality they describe, interpret and modify. Concepts have different layers of meaning that are studied in their temporality and historicity. The different, past and present, layers require the researcher´s prior knowledge and an interpretative approach. The article presents the theoretical and methodological backgrounds and premises of the approach of Conceptual Politics, its added value, the heuristic and analytical tools for analysing it, and the empirical application of the tools proposed. It is argued that the approach is especially beneficial in analysing European integration.

KEYWORDS:

• Concepts
• conceptual politics
• conceptual history
• European integration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 A comprehensive discussion of all possible neighbouring interpretative approaches is, however, neither the goal of this article, nor is it possible to do this within the scope of this paper.

2 The notion of cluster here refers to the fact that conceptual controversies are not linked to single keywords but build broader clusters of interconnected concepts, which allow variation of emphasis both within and between the clusters. Conceptual clusters are clusters of terms that share a similar meaning and functions.

3 Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Süddeutsche Zeitung for the periods in question, i.e. 1998–1999 and 2004–2005. The press articles were only used for recollecing the course of events. A national bias, even if it existed, would thus not have affected the results. Therefore a sample consisting of two national quality newspapers was sufficient.