The book analyzes different critical attitudes towards European integration from a multidisciplinary perspective. By applying both quantitative and normative-theoretical approaches, the contributors assess the causes and effects of the popularity of EU-critical positions and doctrines, such as souverainism, neo-nationalism and neo-populism. The book also presents country studies to compare populist movements and parties, such as the Five Stars Movement in Italy, Syriza in Greece and UKIP in the UK. It offers insights into the historical and normative roots of the diverse anti-European standpoints, and the various political demands and agendas connected with these views, ranging from rejections of EU institutions to demands for institutional reforms and propositions for alternative projects.

Marco Baldassari is the Scientific Director of the Parma Foundations European College, Adjunct Professor of Comparative History of Government for the MA in World Politics (WPIR) at the University of Pavia and of Comparative History of Political Systems at the University of Parma, Italy. In 2010, he was awarded his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Parma.

Emanuele Castelli is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Parma, where he teaches political science and international politics. He received a M.A. in International Relations from the University of Bologna in 2002 and a Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the University of Parma in 2005. 

Matteo Truffelli is an Associated Professor of History of Political Thought at the University of Parma, Italy. He graduated in Philosophy at the Catholic University of Milan and received a Ph.D. in Italian Contemporary History from the University of Roma Tre in 2001. 

Giovanni Vezzani is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Studies in European and International Affairs at the University of Parma, Italy. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Theory from the LUISS University in Rome and in Political and Social Science from the ULB University in Brussels (2016). 

Democratic Deficit and its Counter-Movements: The Eurocentric-Eurosceptic divide in Times of Functional Legitimacy.- Euroscepticism in Times of Crisis. A Macro-level Analysis of the Euro Crisis Effects on Public Opinion and Party Competition on European Integration.- Redefining Democracy and Political Assertiveness: A Constructivist Exposition of European Populism.- The Resilient Governance of the EU: Towards a Post-Democratic Society.- Euroscepticism in Times of European Crisis: The Role of Solidarity.- The European Integration and the Economic Crisis: The Changing Positions of Social Democratic and Radical Left Parties in Spain and Italy.- Simplicity versus Complexity in the European Debate: Identity, Responsibility, and the Dialogue Questioned.- From the Clash of Cultures to the Culture of Clash: Normative Political Theory and the Question of Muslims' Citizenship in Europe and the U.S..- Do Populists Talk the Same? A Multilevel Analysis of Northern League and Five Star Movements' Positions on Immigration and the European Union.- Paths of Critical Europeanism.- Conclusions. Opposition in Europe, Past and Future.