The Social Construction of Europe - Softcover

Thomas Christiansen; Knud Jorgensen; Antje Wiener

Softcover

ISBN 10: 076197265X ISBN 13: 9780761972655

Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2001

Synopsis

`The Social Construction of Europe is a wonderful tool for scholars and advanced students concened with European integration' - Nationalism and Ethical Politics

This book is the first to systematically introduce and apply a social constructivist perspective to the study of European integration. Social constructivism is carefully located in terms of its philosophical and methodological origins. The wider debates and contribution of constructivist approaches to international relations are reviewed, and the insights that might then be afforded to European studies fully explored.

Highlights include: new theoretical contributions to the debate by Ernst B. Haas, Andrew Moravcsik and Steve Smith; research on key aspects of European integration and EU governance applying a variety of constructivist approaches.

The Social Construction of Europe provides new and important insights to a key area of contemporary study and research.

About this title

Review:

`The Social Construction of Europe combines several virtues that make it a most appealing volume. Overall, one has the sense that this is a real exploration of possibilities, not a mechanistic replay of foregone conclusions. The contributors push constructivist theories to see how far they can go in explaining diverse aspects of European integration. In addition, the inclusion of diverse perspectives makes, in this case, for a real conversation about the potential contributions of, as well as the challenges facing, constructivist approaches to the study of Europe. The book does not pretend to be the last word on this subject, but rather the introduction to new and worthwhile dialogues' - Wayne Sandholtz, University of California, Irvine

`The constuctivist approaches to European integration set out in this volume offer a stimulating antidote to theories that emphasize states' interests. As Ernest Haas argues in his persuasive essay, there are productive affinities between constructivism and neofunctionalism in their efforts to explain the "soft rationality" of politics in the European Union' - Helen Wallace, University of Sussex

`A most appealing volume introducing new and worthwhile dialogues on the contribution of, and the challenges facing, constructivist approaches to the study of Europe' - Wayne Sandholtz, University of California, Irvine

About the Author:

Antje Wiener joined the Department in March 2007 as Professor of Politics and International Relations. Her Political Science degrees are from Carleton University, Canada (PhD 1996) and the Free University of Berlin (MA/Dipl Pol 1989). She has taught at the Free University of Berlin, Stanford University, Carleton University, the Universities of Sussex, Hannover, Queen's Belfast and Trento. Her research and teaching interests are in International Relations theory and International Law, Global Constitutionalism and European Integration theory

About this edition

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 076197265X
• ISBN 13: 9780761972655
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 250