Projekt

During the last decade social scientists have paid intense attention to the relationship between actions of the European Union and position-takings by individuals like the transnational activity, the support for the EU or the emergence of a European identity. However, although there is solid evidence that those who are experiencing Europe abroad have also more pro-European attitudes, feel more attached to the EU and know more about it (Fligstein 2008; Rother/Nebe 2009), it is still an open question what kinds of activities trigger which kind of European thinking. This is due to the fact that until now the research has mainly focused on border crossing activities and thus reduced experiences with Europe to cross-border interactions. Thus the project asks two questions: (a) do both cross- and within-border activities produce pro-European attitudes? and (b) are the less-educated still less pro-European after having experienced the EU? Reacting to this important gap in the literature, the project contributes to our understanding of the formation of pro-European attitudes by studying the role of experience-based Europeanness.

• Dr. Monika Eigmüller

  Freie Universität Berlin
  Politik und Sozialwissenschaften
  Institut für Soziologie
  VW-Nachwuchsforschergruppe "Sozialraum Europa"
  Berlin
  

• Dr. Juan J. Fernandez

  Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
  Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Jurídicas
  Departamento de Ciencias Sociales
  Getafe (Madrid)
  Spanien