Call for Papers: Panel on "Pro-European backlash? Responses to Euroscepticism and Right-Wing Populism in Europe"
EUSA 2019, Denver, CO, USA

Euroscepticism and right-wing populism have been on the rise in Europe particularly since the financial and Euro crisis of 2009-2010, culminating in the UK's vote to leave the EU in 2016. The 2014 European Parliament (EP) elections resulted in the largest number of far-right, Eurosceptic and right-wing populist MEPs ever elected, with the 2019 elections likely to go a similar way. Considerable academic attention has been paid to understanding the conditions for this spread and success of Eurosceptic and right-wing populist movements. What has been overlooked, however, in both academic research and public debates is counter-populist and pro-EU mobilisation. The case of pro-European discourse is mainly discussed as elitist or intellectual, disregarding the possibility that pro-European mobilisation can be also initiated from below as a form of popular resistance to Eurosceptic discourse. So far, we know very little about patterns of resistance to Eurosceptic and right-wing populist movements within European civil society. In what way and to what extent is European integration being promoted by those who support it? Is pro-European mobilisation mainly defensive reacting to the threat of a Eurosceptic takeover? Or is it also progressive defining the agenda of political parties and leadership? This panel invites for contributions from scholars working on projects relating to pro-European or counter-populist movements in the context of the 2019 EP Parliamentary elections and beyond.

We invite abstracts on any theme and country that relates to this topic by Monday 24th September. Please send your abstracts to Charlotte Galpin, c.a.galpin@bham.ac.uk.