6. Juni 2023. Wolfram Kaiser: Contesting European Futures

Ju-Jitsu between Europhiles and Eurosceptics in the Past This lecture explores connections between transnational politics and opposition to »Europe« in historical perspective. It argues that transnational advocacy for European cooperation has provoked Eurosceptic activism and narratives. In post-war Europe, Europhiles’ consistent notion of further economic and political integration as the creation of a supranational European democracy of sorts has transformed the struggle between Europhiles and Eurosceptics into one about broader issues of the nature of democracy, not merely the location of decision-making. In this struggle, despite their mutual ideological enmity, the far right and far left frequently align in a form of populist social nationalism that is reminiscent of inter-war alliances against parliamentary democracy at nation-state level. Prof. Dr. Wolfram Kaiser, Historiker; Professor für European Studies an der University of Portsmouth, Gastprofessor am College of Europe in Brügge sowie Leiter im Wissenschaftlichen Dienst des Europäischen Parlaments Moderation: Prof. Dr. Philipp Müller, Historiker; Sprecher der Forschungsgruppe Demokratie und Staatlichkeit; Leiter des BMBF-Verbundprojekts "Euroskepsis" Vortrag im Rahmen der HAMBURG SUMMER SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH, einer Kooperation mit der ZEIT Stiftung.