European Counter-Movements. Eurosceptic Entanglements from the Beginnings of European Integration to the Present Day

Andrea Carlo Martinez M.Phil.

My research project aims to map out the development of 'Euroscepticism' in Italy during the post-war period. According to the common historical and popular narrative, Italy represents a traditionally pro-European country which "fell out of love" with European institutions, a process that can be traced back to the Treaty of Maastricht, having gained speed in the 2010s as a result of the Eurozone and migration crises.
Evidence from party manifestos, surveys, and opinion polls appears to confirm this theory, although it does not fully capture the complexity of the whole picture. For example, various cases of public and party-level anti-integrationist attitudes can be seen in the 1940s and 50s, which could lead one to question whether it was Italy's longstanding and close relationship with the European institutions itself that paved the way for the vocal anti-EU sentiment we see in the country today. The purpose of my project will thus be to analyse the political developments taking place in Italy throughout the decades following the Second World War, in order to determine to what extent they helped shape the current political trends.

Andrea Carlo Martinez M.Phil.
Visiting scholar project De(constructing) Europe – Euroscepticism in the History of European Integration
Biography
+39 06 66049257
martinez[at]dhi-roma[dot]it

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