Manchester University Press Habermas and European Integration: Social and Cultural Modernity Beyond the Nation State (Europe in Change)

From its conception to the referenda of 2005 where it met its end, German philosopher Jurgen Habermas wrote in support of the European Constitution. This is the first in-depth account of his project. Emphasis is placed on the conception of the European Union that informed his political prescriptions. The book is divided into three parts. The first considers the unfolding of 'social modernity' at the level of the EU; among the subjects covered are Habermas's concept of juridification, the latter's affinities with integration theories such as neofunctionalism and the application of Habermas's democratic theory to the EU. The second part addresses 'cultural modernity' in Europe - 'Europessimism' is argued to be a subset of the broader cultural pessimism that has assailed the project of modernity in recent decades with renewed intensity in the wake of 9/11. The final section looks at the conceptual landscape of the Constitutional Convention. Review This splendid little book traces some interesting and important connections between Habermas's theoretical work and his analyses of the European Union, linking one of Europe s most important contemporary thinkers with its most important current political project. --William Outhwaite, Newcastle University 'Habermas and European Integration...starts with a review of Habermas s changing attitudes towards European unification over the past 30 years. Then Grewal...reconstructs pertinent aspects of Habermas s scholarly work over roughly the same period, surveying it in the context of the philosopher s developing political concerns.' --Scott McLemee, Inside Higher Ed About the Author Shivdeep Grewal has taught at Brunel University and University College London