Description
Book SynopsisIn recent years, Europe has been buffeted by a series of contested crises that seemingly undermine and overwhelm its institutions and ideals: the economic shocks of 2008, the open disputes over migration, the political uncertainty generated by Brexit and the inroads made by various populist and nationalist parties into government.
These interconnected trends have exposed the myth of a cohesive European community. Instead, what can be witnessed is the polarization, fragmentation and displacement of the European public sphere. At the very least, both the perceptions and realities of these crises and the reactions to them have disrupted established patterns of identity and instituted new ones. The emergent discourses of austerity, security, populism and anti-populism, for example, are all rooted in a transforming political landscape. In this context, a re-examination of what it means to belong in and to Europe today is required.
By presenting a rich and wide-ranging collection of the latest interdisciplinary scholarship that carefully unpacks the complex dimensions of European identification, this book considers the contemporary concerns and possibilities for political identification in Europe. Written by scholars from across the continent, this volume presents an enriching insight into the European socio-political condition. Each chapter offers a distinct perspective and detailed analysis of a different aspect of ‘identity’. Together, these chapters constitute an invaluable resource for approaching the challenges facing Europe today.
Table of ContentsIntroduction Moments of Crisis, Decision and Critique; Amanda Machin and Nadine Meidert
Chapter 1. Identity and Europe: Integration through crisis and crises of integration; William Outhwaite
Chapter 2. Identity and Migration: from the “refugee crisis” to a crisis of European Identity; Myriam Fotou
Chapter 3. Identity and Citizenship: The Search for a Supranational Social Contract; Evrim Tan
Chapter 4. Identity and Protest: Towards a Multiplicity of European Citizenship – Discovering the potential of the Anti-TTIP-Protests; Nora Sophie Schröder
Chapter 5. Identity and the Far-Right: People talking about “the People” ; Tim Kucharzewski and Silvia Nicola
Chapter 6. Identity and Security: The Affective Ontology of Populism; Monika Gabriela Bartoszewicz
Chapter 7. Identity and Emotion: Resentment in Crisis-Ridden Greece; Fani Giannousi
Chapter 8. Identity and Class: Boundary Drawing in Norway; Ove Skarpenes
Chapter 9. Identity and Brexit: Five Readings of the Referendum?; Ben Abrams Sebastian Büttner and Amanda Machin
Chapter 10. Identity and Representation: Representative Bureaucracy in the European Union; Maximilian Nagel, and B. Guy Peters
Conclusion Politics, Processes and Passions of Identification in Europe; Amanda Machin and Nadine Meidert
