Europe bottom-up: How Eastern Germans and Poles frame the European Union (Studien Zur Politischen Soziologie / Studies On Political So) - Softcover

B|cker, Nicola

Softcover

ISBN 10: 3848700123 ISBN 13: 9783848700127

Publisher: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, 2012

Synopsis

How do citizens rate the EU? Social scientists usually try to answer this question by using large-scale survey data. In contrast, this study follows qualitative approaches and analyzes the interaction between national discourses and individual EU perceptions from a constructivist perspective. The empirical analysis is based on semi-standardized interviews with participants from different social milieus in Eastern Germany and Poland. Including a "Qualitative Comparative Analysis," the book demonstrates that national interpretative schemes or "frames" influence individual EU perceptions and EU attitudes. In this context, current debates and historical frames turn out to be more important than the previous socialist regime and the subsequent transformation process. At the same time, the frames' impact is mediated by citizens' personal capacities and experiences. Accordingly, not only national context, but also social milieu influence citizens' evaluations of the EU. (Series: Studies on Political Sociology / Studien zur Politischen Soziologie - Vol. 21)

About this edition

• Publisher: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 3848700123
• ISBN 13: 9783848700127
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 326