Habermas and European integration : social and cultural modernity beyond the nation-state

German philosopher Jürgen Habermas has written extensively on the European Union. This is the only in-depth account of his project. Published now in paperback to coincide with the celebration of his ninetieth birthday, a new preface considers Habermas’s writings on the eurozone and refugee crises, populism and Brexit, and the presidency of Emmanuel Macron. Placing an emphasis on the conception of the EU that informs Habermas’s political prescriptions, the book is divided into two main 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 assailed the project of modernity in the late twentieth century, and with renewed intensity in the years since 9/11. Front Matter 1 Contents 6 Figures and tables 8 Preface and acknowledgements 10 Preface to the second edition 12 Abbreviations 20 Introduction: Modernity, welfare state and EUtopia 22 Part I Social modernity 32 Habermas on European integration 34 Metatheory 44 Integration theory 54 Democratic theory 68 Part II Cultural modernity 76 Rationalisation 78 Neoconservatism 85 Cartographies of disenchantment 92 Part III Empirical research 108 The conceptual landscape of the Constitutional Convention 110 Conclusion: An unfinished project? 118 Afterword 121 Appendix: The writers of social science 131 References 133 Index 147 This concise yet comprehensive book delineates German philosopher Jürgen Habermas’s conception of the European Union. -- . This concise yet comprehensive book delineates German philosopher Jurgen Habermas's conception of the European Union. -- .