Against Europe? — MISHA junior research programme (Strasbourg, 2009–2010)
Following the double rejection by the French and the Dutch of the draft European Constitution in the referendums held in May and June 2005, the recent No' by the Irish to the Treaty of Lisbon serves as a stark reminder that European integration is by no means merely a linear, automatic process. On the contrary, the outcome of the referendum in Ireland confirms the continued existence of resistance to Europe. It highlights the fears and latent or even outright hostility provoked by European integration, largely as a result of the political, social and economic transformations that the process engenders in the Member States.
The research programme carried out at MISHA (the Maison Interuniversitaire des Sciences de l'Homme - Alsace, or Alsace Interuniversity Social Sciences and Humanities Research Institute) is adopting a multidisciplinary approach in order to shed light on the phenomena of refusal, resistance and opposition to European integration in the long term, from 1945 to the present day. By combining the methods of historians, sociologists, political analysts, legal experts and geographers from several European countries, this programme attempts to analyse the reasons for opposition to Europe and to understand its aims, bringing to light the key moments of this resistance and demonstrating its gradually changing nature.
The research programme, co-directed by Martial Libera and Carine Germond, comprises four themed seminars:
- The concepts of Anti- or Alter-Europeanism
- Spaces, regions and borders
- The role of institutional figures
- Political parties and civil society
The CVCE will provide documentary and digital support for this programme and will be responsible for recording and webcasting the seminars.