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European Culture Wars? Abortion and Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research (1998-2015)

par Mondo, Emilie
Président du jury Coman, Ramona
Promoteur Foret, François
Publication Non publié, 2018-10-11

Thèse de doctorat

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Résumé :

This research addresses the conflictualization dynamics induced by the politicization of religion at the supranational level. It tests the Union’s institutional capacity to routinize dissension, temper animosities, and reconcile divergences in the light of religiously-loaded, issue-specific controversies. So-called “morality issues” such as abortion or human embryonic stem cell research emerged onto the EU agenda at the end of the 1990s. The main sites of bioethical contention correspond to the European Parliament and Commission arenas, where political, social, and religious entrepreneurs have been pursuing ideological interests of either liberal or conservative nature. We developed an interpretative approach to their discourses and perceptions through the qualitative content analysis of semi-structured interviews and online documentary sources. A key task consisted in determining whether one observes the routinization of bioethical conflicts by European institutions (“business-as-usual” scenario) or whether the said conflicts are remaining extrinsic to the Brussels political game (“culture wars” scenario). In other words, is the emergence of new stakes – morality issues – prompting the emergence of new divisions and repertoires of action? We put to the test the normal course of EU politics in the light of (1) the structuration of morality divides along religious, political, and national frontlines; and (2) the materialization of morality antagonisms through discursive, bureaucratic, and mobilization weapons. Overall, the “polarization” and “political style” variables showed that the supranational debates on abortion and hESCR do not fully alter the logics of supranational governance; in return, the EU polity is not closed to the crystallization of politicized modes of dissent expression. The hypothesis of an intermediary scenario oscillating between policy-seeking and position-taking perspectives is thus confirmed. On the one hand, issue-specific alliances characterized by internal multifold diversities do play the institutional rules of the European political game in their quest for ideological influence on the decision-making process. On the other hand, limited supranational competences on religiously-loaded issues constrain conflicting factions’ leeway to a symbolic use of morality causes and beliefs as instrumental devices worth of credit-claiming and identity-posturing.