Introduction: Citizens and the European Polity

This chapter presents the volume, its fundamental motivation, and contents. It argues that the end of 'permissive consensus' and the entry of mass publics as relevant actors in the dynamics of European integration require a deeper and more comprehensive analysis of how attitudes towards domestic and European politics are linked, especially in the context of an enlarged EU. It describes the main attitudinal aspects addressed by the book chapters and the theoretical perspective that gives unity to the volume and to the entire IntUne series: a conceptualization of the subjective dimensions of European citizenship as consisting in Identity, Representation, and Policy Scope. It then outlines the main questions asked and answered in each of the volume's chapters.