The Making of Eurosceptic Britain

Gifford offers a radical interpretation of a major political issue. This book goes beyond existing narrative and institutional accounts of Britain and Europe by presenting a theoretically coherent and unique perspective on this troubled relationship. Populist Euroscepticism has become fundamental to constituting Britain and Britishness in a post-imperial context, despite membership of the European Union.This book: is organized chronologically, providing lucid overviews of key periods in the British-European Union relationship; combines political economy with political identity; and, makes the case that forms of Euroscepticism have become embedded across the British political class and culture.This interesting study focuses not on outlining history or the impact of British integration on British institutions, but on the ways in which elite behaviour towards European integration should be analysed as practices and discourses that use Euroesceptism to construct Britain and distinctive British political projects. Lively and accessible, it is ideal for courses on political sociology, European studies and international relations more generally.