Internal Europeanization

The article explores how the concept of emotional capital intersects with class in the highly competitive process of selecting EU officials. It is primarily based on an analysis of a test preparation guide for the EU concours, examined through the lens of Eva Illouz’s understanding of emotional capital. The article focuses on both tacit and embodied inscriptions of Europeanness – its “internal” dimensions that embed emotions within the broader context of secular and supposedly rational work practices. The author argues that the influence of therapy culture in the contemporary workplace is class-bound and may be both liberating and constraining.