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.