From Euroscepticism to Resistance to European Integration: An Interdisciplinary Perspective

Abstract

This article aims at contributing to the ongoing academic debate about European integration. It stresses the need for an interdisciplinary approach rooted in history and political science. The argument is twofold. Most of the existing literature overlooks the historical dimension of contention over the making of Europe and implicitly makes it a contemporary phenomenon defined as Euroscepticism. This, it is argued, has led to some major analytical deadlocks. Consequently, it is necessary to reframe the debate through the notion of resistances to Europe. Resistances can be defined as manifestations of hostility towards one (or several) aspect(s) of European integration perceived as a threat with respect to one's values. This notion, this paper suggests, is particularly adequate to the study of past and present contention over European integration, which is highlighted with various empirical examples.

Key Words:

• Euroscepticism
• resistances
• European integration
• interdisciplinary
• history

Notes

¹ There are 4800 references for ‘permissive consensus’, and 672 references associating ‘permissive consensus’ and ‘euroscepticism’ in google.

² Archives of the Fondation André Renard, Syndicalisme international, syndicalisme face à l'Europe.