The Bumpy Road to Lisbon: Narratives of the EU Reform Process in European Textbooks

The past decade of European integration was characterized by institutional reforms pursued by the political elite of the EU. However, the proposed Constitution for Europe and the subsequent “Reform Treaty” of Lisbon turned out to be provocative subjects and were rejected by the citizens in France, the Netherlands and Ireland. Obviously, the idea to make the EU more democratic, to dedicate more power to the EU Parliament and to generate more transparency in decision-making had not been communicated convincingly to the public.

I will present how the EU reform process is portrayed in social studies textbooks in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Germany, focusing on the debates about the Constitution and the Lisbon “Reform” Treaty. These cases offer different perspectives: The final “Nee” to the Constitution was not expected by the international public, since the Dutch were known to be rather “European minded” than “Eurosceptic”. In contrast, the Irish “No campaign” to the Treaty of Lisbon was led by the almost “traditional” Eurosceptic forces, which have been active since the 1970s. Germany instead was in the position of an EU-friendly, yet influential “observer” of the situation.

Textbooks are mass media reflecting hegemonic discourses and containing knowledge accepted by the political elite. Moreover, textbook narrations for social studies usually attempt to legitimate the existing order while educating critical citizens. Critical discourse analysis can reveal how controversies are translated into “politically accepted knowledge” in different political environments via the educational institutions and actors involved in textbook production and approval.