European Narratives and Euroscepticism in the Western Balkans and the EU

by Manuela Caiani, Benedetta Carlotti, Marko Lovec, Maria Winclawska, Faris Kocan

Overview

Moving from a social movement perspective, this timely volume examines narratives on Euroscepticism and frames on Europe from below, at the party and social movement levels. Revealing perspectives from both the Right and the Left, it unpacks the emergence, re-emergence and increase in critical ‘voices’ and opposition towards Europe.

Based on extensive fieldwork in two candidate countries for accession to the EU and three member states, it offers insight from analysis of focus groups, interviews with Eurosceptic and pro-European political actors and ordinary citizens, together with frame analysis and scrutiny of archival material, electoral manifestoes and organisational documents. Revealing the development of Eurocritical frames, it demonstrates the differences and similarities in narratives used to address Europe and the conceptualisation of Euroscepticism. Key cases examined include the rise of illiberalism in post-transition Slovenia; complex Euroscepticism in Poland; the path from strong support to harsh opposition in Italy; indecision over membership in North Macedonia; anticipating the future while revisiting the past in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Offering guidelines for the direction of future research and policy, European Narratives and Euroscepticism in the Western Balkans and the EU is essential reading for scholars and students of political sociology, political science, European studies and international relations, as well as policy makers concerned with trajectories pro and against Europe and the European integration process.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032674568
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/30/2025
Series:	The Mobilization Series on Social Movements, Protest, and Culture
Pages:	210
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Manuela Caiani, Associate Professor in Political Science, Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy.

Benedetta Carlotti, Researcher, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy.

Marko Lovec, Associate Professor and Research Fellow, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Faris Kočan, Researcher, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Maria Wincławska, Associate Professor of Political Science, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland.

Adam Balcer, Program Director, Jan Nowak Jeziorański College of Eastern Europe, Poland.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. European narratives and Euroscepticism: An introduction

Chapter 2. Our cases: setting the context of political and cultural opportunities for Eurosceptic narratives

Chapter 3. A poorly contested entry to the EU, external shocks and the rise of illiberalism in Slovenian

Chapter 4. If you scratch the surface: Euroscepticism in Poland

Chapter 5. From strong support to harsh opposition to the EU: the case of Italy

Chapter 6. To join or not to join?: The case of North Macedonia.

Chapter 7. Anticipating the (European) future while revisiting the (troubled) past: the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Chapter 8. Conclusion: varieties of Euroscepticism: between parties and social movements, Left and Right, old and "newer" members

Editorial Reviews

‘Via triangulation of qualitative and quantitative methodological procedures and data sources, including in-depth and focus group interviews with Eurosceptic and pro-European political party and social movements adherents, Manuela Caiani and her colleagues systematically explore Euroscepticism comparatively across the right/left political spectrum in five countries. Drawing on the framing perspective, among other social movement concepts, their analysis identifies a number of different contextually-based Eurosceptic narratives, showing that Euroscepticism is more variegated and nuanced than often portrayed. For scholars interested in current Eurosceptic trajectories and their prospects, this is a timely and instructive contribution meriting a close reading.’ - David A. Snow, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of California, Irvine, U.S.A.

‘Attitudes to European integration largely depend on how it is framed in different national and subnational public spheres. To uncover them demands meticulous systematic qualitative work and expert triangulation based on different sources.  Caiani et al.'s work makes a valuable contribution to mapping the diversity of frames across Europe by focusing on a neglected geopolitical area: Eastern Europe and the Balkan region. In so doing it improves our understanding of the Eurosceptic undercurrents, which while in the minority, challenge the European project.’ - Juan Diez Medrano, Universidad Carlos III Madrid, Spain

From the Publisher