From Normative Impetus to Professionalization:Origins and Operations of Research Networks

This essays offers an interpretation of the characters of the history of the European integration from its origins in the 1970s till today. It argues that especially in the early stages this branch of the historical studies has been influenced by the policies and the initiatives of the European institutions, especially the European Commission, whose aim was to favour the building of a European identity. The interaction between the historians and the Commission is analysed as well as the role played by some historical schools and some big international research projects. The essay concludes that the history of the European integration, however, developed an autonomous approach and tried to be more interdisciplinary in its outlook. This development led to a growing professionalisation of the historians of the European integration.