How should scholars study European governance? In this introductory article, we situate our genealogical approach in relation to existing research by summarizing the key features of major strands of research on European governance, clarifying their primary similarities and differences, criticizing their underlying commitment to the development of comprehensive theories and articulating the beginnings of an alternative research agenda. This alternative research agenda pivots away from attempting to develop a comprehensive theoretical model of European governance to one oriented towards investigating the beliefs and narrative traditions that shape Europe's governing practices. We conclude by previewing the contributions to the Special Issue, drawing attention to the overlapping themes addressed in each article, namely the influence of social scientific rationalities, elite narratives and local traditions in contemporary forms of European governance. Comparative European Politics (2017) 15, 685-704.
An interpretive approach to foreign policy explains the beliefs of actors and the meanings of their actions by locating them in their respective historical traditions and in response to particular dilemmas. This article explains how the British Press constructs ‘secularism’ as a requirement for Turkey's potential future membership in the European Union (EU) as a response to the rise of the Islamically‐identified Justice and Development Party (AKP). By emphasizing Turkey's secularism as a precondition for entry into the EU, the press effects a significant departure from the dominant British foreign policy traditions with respect to Turkey and the EU, which have highlighted considerations of material benefits. These arguments are pursued through a close analysis of how the British Press covered the attempted election of the country's next president in 2007 and the resulting conflict.
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