Studying Europe after the fall: four thoughts on post-EU studies

What would European Union (EU) scholars study if the EU were to fall? This contribution does not predict the demise of the Union, but rather engages EU scholars in a thought-experiment. It considers what would happen to EU studies and the scholarly community if the EU were to disintegrate. Moreover, the possible contours of post-EU studies are outlined. That discussion is based around the four ideas of destruction, diagnosis, diversion and renewal. If the EU were to fall, the argument goes, the questions that drive EU scholars would endure and evolve rather than evaporate. The challenges that triggered the collapse of the EU would be likely to haunt former member states and other organizational structures for regional and international co-operation.