Workshop

European Stories - the intellectual debates on Europe in national contexts

WP 5 - Civil Society and the Public Sphere  

WP 5 events

Brussels, 29-30 May 2008

Venue: Institute for European Studies, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 30, avenue F. D. Roosevelt, B-1050 Brussels  

The question of Europe has only recently been addressed in contemporary political thought. Before the Treaty of Maastricht was signed, research work on European construction was mostly focussed on the issue of integration but very rarely delved into the normative questions attached to it. Since 1992, public debate surrounding the ratification of the treaty has led to a multiplicity of theoretical analysis on the legitimacy of the European Union. However, both the aims and forms taken by these theoretical debates differ greatly from one country to another since they reflect core values embedded in a wider national political culture. People indeed approach the topic of European integration with a cultural repertoire that tends to vary along social, political and national lines. The latter includes, amongst other things, knowledge, habitus, stories, memories and world views upon which people draw more or less consciously when framing objects and problems.

For this reason, this workshop will be structured on a country-wise basis. National cases have been selected in order to offer a wide range of contrasting intellectual contexts. The debates will be articulated around the following question: how have intellectuals reacted to European integration and how have they conceived their country’s national identity and its position inside (or outside) the European Union?

Read more on the research objectives of WP 5 and on the overall research objectives of RECON.

Please register at: Justine.Lacroix@ulb.ac.be

Programme (download pdf)

Updated 05.05.2008

Organised by the Institute for European Studies (IEE) and Centre de théorie politique (CTP) at the ULB   WP 5 Events