Thinking Reflexively about the Political Sociology of the EU

Abstract

In European politics today, new forms of transnational power are emerging that challenge the traditional parameters of action by nation states. New actors are creating new spaces of contest that may overlap but do not snuggle fit with the traditional spaces of political action. This has called into question both institutional and constructionist perspectives that neglect underlying forms of power at work. New forms of solidarity and differentiation, both in terms of knowledge and social groups, are being created. The purpose of this panel is to encourage a more critically reflexive practice of the tools of political sociology in order to better account for these new political realities. The panel draws inspiration from Niilo Kauppi’s 2018 book "Toward a Reflexive Political Sociology of the European Union: Fields, Intellectuals and Politicians". We include papers that employ types of reflexive thinking to assess the recent political changes in the EU.