Et tu, EU-historicus?

Abstract

Abstract Et tu, EU historian? The history of European integration and today’s crises In political science European integration studies has become a thriving specialism since the 1980s. Conversely, historians of European integration have remained a rather isolated community in between national history and international relations. Making sense of past and present realities of multilayered governance, however, is not the only challenge both political scientists and historians face today. They also have to come to terms with polarised public and political debate on Europe’s democratic deficit. The fact that a narrative of the European Union as a modern-day salvation history is a thing of the past opens up new opportunities for research. An equally finalistic narrative, reducing EU integration to an ever-widening gap between citizens and politicans, however, would be a poor substitute and no great analytical help in the current crises.