Europeanization and Discourse Theory.

This paper examines theoretical developments related to the concept of Europeanization. The term is used within several branches of social sciences mainly to describe economic and political change brought by post-war European integration. Recently, Europeanization has become an increasingly prominent analytical tool within European Studies. As such, it is primarily used to account for (top-down) national adaptation to, or (bottom-up) national projection of interests in, the European Union. This paper suggests that it is beneficial to conceptualize Europeanization in terms of discourse theory. This enables us to understood Europeanization as both a top-down and a bottom-up process, in which actors (such as nation states) identities and interests are both transformed by European Union discourses (differentially depending on prior identity of the actors), and also themselves shape the nature of European Union discourses. It is further argued that a comparative discourse methodology enables one to gain novel insights in to the processes related to regional and international governance. In terms of the conference theme, this paper suggests that analytical innovations related to the concept of Europeanization have potential to bridge some disciplinary and methodological divides related to international relations research. Theorizing the complex relationship between national and European Union level of governance tackles the domestic/international divide. Relatedly, disciplinary boundaries between Political Science, European Studies and International Relations are lowered. Moreover, because the concept of Europeanization is applied by approaches drawing from different epistemologies, methodological discussion and reflection is encouraged between positivism and post-positivism. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]