Introduction

European integration has fostered increasing cross-border contacts and a stronger transnationalisation of social interactions, attitudes and interpretations. Europe and more particularly the countries belonging to the European Union (EU) are evolving into a social space characterised by dense transnational social, political, administrative and economic relations. These horizontal Europeanisation processes are analysed – as explained in this introductory chapter – in academic, bureaucratic, professional and associational fields. In addition, the Europeanisation of the social space is analysed, focusing specifically on the transnationalisation of everyday practices, solidarity and perceptions of social inequalities. The theoretical framework underlying this book departs from the concepts of the social space and social fields proposed by the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu.