From pathology to mainstream phenomenon: Reviewing the Euroscepticism debate in research and theory
| Date | 01 June 2015 |
| Author | Cécile Leconte |
| DOI | 10.1177/0192512115576236 |
| Published date | 01 June 2015 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
International Political Science Review
2015, Vol. 36(3) 250 –263
© The Author(s) 2015
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DOI: 10.1177/0192512115576236
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From pathology to mainstream
phenomenon: Reviewing the
Euroscepticism debate in research
and theory
Cécile Leconte
Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Lille, France
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.
Keywords
Euroscepticism, populism, European Union, theories of European integration
Introduction
Initially limited to the small world of scholars working on the European Union (EU), who started
to address this phenomenon from the mid-1990s onwards, the notion of Euroscepticism is now
traceable in the official discourse of EU institutions and (pro-European) national decision-makers.
Indeed, after the derailment of the EU constitutional process in 2005,1 both policymakers and
researchers have set themselves the explicit aim of fighting this phenomenon. Beyond the apparent
consensus on the non-desirability of Euroscepticism, however, few have engaged in the difficult
task of genuinely unpacking this notion.
Corresponding author:
Cécile Leconte, Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Lille, 84 rue de Trévise, 59000 France.
Email: cecile.leconte@sciencespo-lille.eu
576236IPS0010.1177/0192512115576236International Political Science ReviewLeconte
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