Standing Group on the European Union Conference 2018

The conference provides space for researchers from various backgrounds – Political Science, History, Sociology, Law, Anthropology, Philosophy, Geography, Economics – to present and discuss cutting-edge research focused on the pressing questions of European integration. We are committed to methodological pluralism, and encourage dialogue across academic disciplines.

Scholars have been reflecting on the state of European integration with a diachronic perspective based on empirical work or more theoretical endeavors. They are thus able to shed light on the EU as a set of institutions and policies with its elites and interest groups embedded in a wider international context. Analysis of the EU as a source of political cleavage are key to understanding populism, party realignment, territorial tensions in many member states, against the backdrop of inequalities within and across member states. The conference also addresses the complex relationship between socioeconomic dynamics and EU developments, to understand the bases of political integration and its potential effects. Are the terms “European society” or “European economy” constructs reflecting an empirical reality and can they be linked to EU policies? In this era of “lost illusions”, our Paris meeting will also engage with debates in political, legal and social theory around key concepts including democracy, the rule of law, and legitimacy.

The Sections proposed can be found on the Academic Programme.