ABSTRACT

Over the past decade regionalism has become somewhat of an academic growth industry in a number of social science specialisations: European studies, comparative politics, international economics, international geography, international relations (IR) and international political economy (IPE). The approach of these different academic specialisations varies considerably, which means that regionalism means different things to different people. The field of regionalism is fragmented and plagued by divisions which, in our view, need to be transcended in order to reach new research frontiers. In response, this chapter seeks to contribute to a more productive debate between different theoretical standpoints in the research field.