This book offers a novel anthropological account of how European Union research, development, and innovation projects are imagined, enacted, and experienced through actual project practice. In contrast to the majority of existing literature, which focuses on management techniques, performance metrics, or policy frameworks, this book brings into focus the overlooked everyday realities of project life: its unwritten rules, social rituals, symbolic capital, and linguistic choreography. Drawing on over 15 years of immersive fieldwork and guided by Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practice and Goffman’s dramaturgy, the book reveals how dominant project concepts like “innovation,” “impact,” and “sustainability” are collectively constructed and reproduced, often becoming performative illusions that serve institutional interests.
Methodologically, Behind the Scenes of EU Projects employs critical ethnography and discourse analysis, weaving theory with rich narrative vignettes (e.g., from the dramaturgy of meetings to the peculiar semiotics of email communication), illuminating the human and symbolic dimensions of EU projects. It introduces the concept of “Lingua EU”, a tribal language that distinguishes experienced practitioners from novices and sustains the illusion of coherence in a fragmented project landscape. This book contributes to contemporary debates in anthropology, critical policy analysis, and higher education studies by offering not only critique but also a deeply reflexive tool for scholars, students, and practitioners. It invites readers to rethink the cultural infrastructures of European collaboration and project work, making it uniquely valuable as both an academic intervention and a practical companion for those navigating through the EU project world.
Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. The EU as a Living Project 2. Habemus Prōiectum! 3. A Feel for the Project Game 4. Capital and Strategies in the Project Field 5. The Dramaturgy of Everyday Project Life 6. Project Representations and Performances 7. Lifting the Curtain on the Project World Conclusion
About the Author :
Gregor Cerinšek is the Head of the Department for Applied Social Science Research at the Institute for Innovation and Development of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and a Senior Impact Strategist at Halmstad University, Sweden. With a PhD in anthropology, his work explores the structural dynamics of European research and innovation infrastructures, particularly within EU-funded projects.
Review :
"This book is a must-read for anyone who is serious about being involved in funded research! Gregor Cerinšek, one of Europe's most experienced project coordinators, leaders and researchers, adeptly guides readers through a compelling journey back-stage into the messy, creative, intellectually exciting and sometimes fraught behind-the-scenes workings in EU projects. This book both answers all the questions we all wanted to ask about EU projects and offers a deep reflection on institutional circumstances of contemporary European academia. Cerinšek's analysis is critical but also deeply pragmatic as regards understanding how and why the project model is simultaneously intrinsically flawed and conditioned for successfully delivering excellent research and practical outcomes. Cerinšek himself delivers an exceptional example of the engaged anthropological scholarship our times call for."
Laureate Prof Dr Sarah Pink, Professor and Director of Emerging Technologies Research Lab and FUTURES Hub, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
"EU projects finally made human. With sharp observations, real-life stories, and the clever idea of ‘Lingua EU’, this book reveals the rituals, rules, and humour behind the bureaucracy. Essential, practical, and surprisingly fun for scholars, policy-makers, developers and anyone who’s ever survived a general assembly."
Prof Dr Vaike Fors, Professor in Design Ethnography and leader of the REBEL research program at Halmstad University, Sweden.
"'All the world’s a stage,' William Shakespeare explained. Gregor Cerinšek nods in agreement and steps into the project backstage, where he subtly yet boldly reveals what lies behind the curtain. Without this book, you will not understand the script by which European projects are written and performed; it is therefore essential reading for the academic community and students alike, as well as for project managers and other professionals."
Prof Dr Dan Podjed, Senior Research Fellow at the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts and Professor at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
