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European Union History

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Research Methods in European Union Studies

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics ((PSEUP))

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Abstract

The complexity of the contemporary EU polity is a product of its intricate historical pathways. Since the early 1950s, the processes of European integration, including setting up the EU’s political institutions, the reoccurring enlargements and the development of its wide-ranging legal scope and market regulatory powers, have had a gradual significant transformative effect on states within and beyond Europe. This chapter is concerned with how to conduct critical research on the history of the EU (for the chronologies of the EU’s development see Gilbert, 2012; Dinan, 2010). First, this chapter provides an overview of what characterises the body of knowledge in the history of the EU, and discusses how historians struggle with issues of narrativity, generalisations and conceptualisations. Second, the chapter explores key dimensions of historical research design. In particular, it discusses the underlying concerns of what the knowledge ambition of historical research is, and which archives and sources are available for analysing the EU’s history. In the final section, the chapter outlines innovative trends in historical research design, particularly in relation to new conceptualisations, methods and cross-disciplinary research.

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Authors
  1. Ann-Christina L. Knudsen
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Society and Globalisation, University of Roskilde, Denmark

    Kennet Lynggaard (Associate Professor) (Associate Professor)

  2. Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

    Ian Manners (Professor) (Professor)

  3. School of Government, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

    Karl Löfgren (Associate Professor) (Associate Professor)

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© 2015 Ann-Christina L. Knudsen

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Knudsen, AC.L. (2015). European Union History. In: Lynggaard, K., Manners, I., Löfgren, K. (eds) Research Methods in European Union Studies. Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137316967_3

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