European Identity

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the difficulty of the establishment of a European identity, questioning whether any European identity can be formed at all. The paper explains that the present union consists of a large number of member states and all these states have existed for a long time and have distinct national identities. The paper examines the basic question of whether a European demos and identity can be formed and how that will compete with the existing national identities. The paper also questions whether a "new" European identity will change the national identities and if so, how much of a change is really required. The paper presents the belief that the nature of identity for Europe cannot be the same as a national identity, as the nations have been formed through struggle for recognition for a particular culture, history, language and identity.
Outline
Introduction
Policy Making & Agenda Setting
Enlargement
A European Constitution
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The formation of nations can be started from the top of society by the elites, or through different types of social movements or other organized action. In all cases the start of a separate nation involves recognition for a particular national community in the world around the community. This recognition is received by the people who are a part of the group, or are made a part of the group. For Europe to be viewed as a nation, there has to be recognition of some unique features of being a European, and that has to be of history, culture and language. This has to be recognized by the Europeans. The search for cultural unity has to be combined with a search for the unique and separate features of Europe so that the Europeans can distinguish themselves from non-Europeans. This makes it unlikely that there will be a European identity similar to that of a nation. Instead one has to look for a European identity that can exist above the national identity."

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• Term Paper # 139096 : "The European Union's Identity"
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• Comparison Essay # 144737 : "The UK , Germany and the European Union"

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