Emotions research meets European studies: a systematic literature review and future research agenda

The importance of emotions is increasingly being recognised in European studies, and a growing number of scholars address emotions to study the EU. However, the literature remains fragmented. In this article, we employ PRISMA – a systematic literature review – to select and analyse 194 articles on emotions in relation to the EU published between January 1998 and January 2025. The objective is (1) to map both main themes and main methods used in this subfield and synthesise main findings; (2) to trace the evolution of this subfield across time; and (3) to identify new avenues of research. Our findings indicate that, with a recent surge in the number of articles, the emotions perspective is becoming increasingly important in European studies. However, we suggest that it may be too early to assess whether this recent interest in emotions in European studies will be sustainable in the years to come, as current research remains in its early stages. Moreover, fully realising the potential of this emerging subfield will require further theoretical innovation, increased engagement between different research clusters, broader empirical application, and sustained engagement with underexplored yet key questions in European integration. In this regard, the article identifies several directions for future research.