The Brussels Bubble
The Brussels Bubble
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What happens when European politics goes digital? Behind the scenes in European Union institutions, a quiet transformation is reshaping the way power works. Based on long-term ethnographic research, this book follows diplomats, civil servants, spokespersons, and interpreters through the corridors, meeting rooms, cafés, and smartphone screens of Brussels' European Quarter. Against the backdrop of Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, and Russia's war on Ukraine, it reveals how digital technologies have become inseparable from the practice of international politics—reshaping trust, tact, and authority in unexpected ways. Far from a tale of technological revolution, The Brussels Bubble exposes digitalisation as a messy, human negotiation about what diplomacy and Europe itself mean today. Combining vivid narrative with sharp theoretical insight, it offers a rare, inside view of how global governance, technology, and human interaction intertwine at the heart of European power. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
- Drawing on behind-the-scenes access to Brussels during defining crises, this book offers an unparalleled, first-hand view of how EU diplomats navigate technological change and human challenges under intense political and geopolitical pressure
- Reconceptualizes international politics and global governance as practices transformed by crises, connectivity, and digital infrastructures – revealing how trust, authority, and secrecy evolve in a world where the EU emerges as a digitally and politically constituted site of power
- Blends ethnographic observation with storytelling, theory, and reflection – moving fluidly between Brussels meeting rooms to online negotiations and personal encounters, offering an engaging, relatable lens on how digitalization and politics intertwine in contemporary Europe
- This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core
Reviews & endorsements
‘What a gem of a book. 'The Brussels Bubble' offers a richly textured, and refreshingly original ethnographic journey into the everyday world of EU diplomats and eurocrats. Combining sharp analytical insight with vivid storytelling, it punctures clichés about ‘Brussels'. It reveals not only the human logics and lived negotiations that animate European governance, but also the transformative-and often overlooke-role of digital technologies in shaping work, authority, and connection inside the bubble. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand how the EU really works in a digitally mediated age-beyond institutions, beyond policy, and inside the lived experience of its practitioners.' Stephanie C. Hofmann, European University Institute
'Moving effortlessly between ethnographic vignettes and scholarly exegesis, this beautifully written book breaks significant new ground in EU studies. It lifts the lid on the beating heart of the European Union as never before and its deep insights deserve to shape academic debates for years to come. It is an immense achievement.' Ben Rosamond, University of Edinburgh
‘'The Brussels Bubble' brings vibrantly to life the inner workings of the European Union, offering a sophisticated, beautifully written, and compelling account of the people and practices behind the politics. This is extraordinary work by scholars at the top of their ethnographic game.' Kathleen R. McNamara, Professor of Government and Foreign Service, Georgetown University
‘It takes the right combination of analytical skill and human sensibility to be a good ethnographer. This book, written by two of the finest practice theorists, overachieves on both counts, producing a sophisticated account of the new symbolic economy of digital interaction in 21st century multilateral diplomacy.' Vincent Pouliot, Professor and Chair of International Studies, Université de Montréal
Product details
- Published: July 2026
- Format: Adobe eBook Reader
- ISBN: 9781009756822
- Length: 215 pages
- Dimensions: 229 × 152 mm
- Availability: Not yet published - available from July 2026
Table of Contents
- Preface
- 1. In the Brussels bubble
- 2. Love-hating the digital
- 3. Classifying balloons
- 4. 'Boring handshakes'
- 5. Digital diplomats
- 6. The show must go on(line)
- Conclusion
- A note on writing and researching this book
- Index.
- Show more
- Table of contents navigation
- Index navigation
- Latest accessibility assessment date: 2026-05-06
