The Routledge Handbook of Critical European Studies, edited by D.Bigo, T.Diez, E.Fanoulis, B.Rosamond and Y. A.Stivachtis(Oxon and New York: Routledge, 2021, ISBN 9780429491306); xiii+564 pp., 35.99 eb.
本书汇集批判欧洲研究的最新进展，结合理论探讨与具体政策分析，涵盖政治经济、内部安全和对外关系等领域，适合欧盟研究者及对批判视角感兴趣的读者。
A core book of the Critical European Studies Series (CESS), the Routledge Handbook of Critical European Studies, features the most recent developments in critical European Union (EU) studies.Specifically, it aims to 'help shape the field', therefore contributing to the CESS' goal of putting forward 'alternative approaches to critical analyses' of EU politics, 'while overcoming disciplinary borders and paradigms' (p. 1).Over the last decades, critical studies went from a secondary line of research to a prolific, forefront source of theorization and empirical research in several scientific fields, ranging from International Relations and Security Studies to Political Economy.As a result, a significant bulk of literature on (or framed by) critical perspectives emerged.The study of the EU is no exception.However, this volume is appealing in two ways.First, it includes contributions from some of the most recognized scholars in the areas of EU governance and theorization.Rosamond's Theories of European Integration (2000) and Diez' (with Wiener) European integration Theory ( 2004) are just two examples of works that are still today milestones in theory-building.Second, arguably adding to the originality of the book, it combines theorization with critical analysis of specific policy areas.The volume unfolds over four sections (each opened by a separate Introduction) and 36 chapters.Cohesiveness is guaranteed by the use of critical lenses throughout the book and by a shared understanding that, despite its ontological 'polysemy ' (p.1; p. 438), critical involves a sense of non-conformation with, and therefore questioning of, the reality analysed.The chapters in Part I explore different critical theoretical perspectives on European integration, either by revisiting and building on the thoughts of influential authors (e.g., Gramsci, Habermas and Foucault) or by discussing broader debates and themes (e.g., postcolonialism, gender issues and global political justice).Manners' chapter on critical social theory acts as a sort of conclusion building on the importance of imagining 'another Europe is possible' (p.146).In the following sections, the chapters provide an overview of critical approaches to EU policies in the political economy (Part II), internal security (Part III) and external relations (Part IV) fields, with some contributions bridging areas, as happens with Bossong and Rhinard's chapter.By linking theory to the analysis of concrete contemporary EU challenges, these three sections add to the book's interest for a broader audience.