From pathology to mainstream phenomenon: Reviewing the Euroscepticism debate in research and theory

Abstract

When taking stock of the now vast literature on Euroscepticism, one cannot but notice the often deeply normative character of much of the academic research on this topic. This article argues that it is as a result of the pro-integration bias in mainstream EC/EU studies that Euroscepticism has been conceptualized as a ‘phenomenon of the periphery’ – be it the periphery of party systems, the periphery of domestic societies or the geographical periphery of the EU, epitomized by the UK and the Nordic countries. However, since the early 2000s, the spread of Euroscepticism at public opinion and party levels across the EU has contributed to changing academic understandings of Euroscepticism, from a quasi-pathology to a mainstream and enduring phenomenon in European domestic societies and democracies. Considering the risk of conceptual overstretch ensuing from this ‘mainstreaming’, the article puts forward some theoretical and methodological proposals for future research on Euroscepticism, by drawing lessons from comparable academic debates on the notion of populism, and by recasting debates on Euroscepticism in the light of the current financial and Eurozone crises.