Gender and Ethnicity in EU-Non-Discrimination Policies. Bringing Social Theory and Empirical Research together

The research project is directed both towards empirical research, theoretical interventions and policies interpretations. On one hand it aims at contributing to the theoretical and methodological elaboration of gender and ethnicity aspects in EU Non-Discrimination policies. On the theoretical level it focuses on the perspective of intersectionality as well as to its deepening relations with sociology and critical realism. On the other, at the empirical level, the aim of the project is to operationalise definitions and theories for the analysis of EU policies in order to identify weaknesses and strengthens and a possible social model for new political mainstreams interventions. As regards the methods used in the project, the first step will be the conceptual elaboration of a new model for interpreting EU Non-discrimination policies through the analysis of the theoretical perspectives. The second step will be to apply a discourse and content analysis on EU documents selected in the first phase of the project in order to understand the actual framework of this policies in particular EU commission Directives and guidelines on gender and racial/ethnic equality. The project will promote a deeper understanding of the evolution of the theoretical debate upon differences and new models of citizenship for gender and ethnicity and the enrichment that the intersectionality debate and critical realism can receive when they are brought together. Further the research will find out advantages and disadvantages of the actual EU Non-discrimination policies in the light of the complexification of the social processes