Description
Book SynopsisIn Religion and the Struggle for European Union, Brent F. Nelsen and James L. Guth delve into the powerful role of religion in shaping European attitudes on politics, political integration, and the national and continental identities of its leaders and citizens. Nelsen and Guth contend that for centuries Catholicism promoted the universality of the Church and the essential unity of Christendom. Protestantism, by contrast, esteemed particularity and feared Catholic dominance. These differing visions of Europe have influenced the process of postwar integration in profound ways. Nelsen and Guth compare the Catholic view of Europe as a single cultural entity best governed as a unified polity against traditional Protestant estrangement from continental culture and its preference for pragmatic cooperation over the sacrifice of sovereignty. As the authors show, this deep cultural divide, rooted in the struggles of the Reformation, resists the ongoing secularization of the continent. Unless addressed, it threatens decades of hard-won gains in security and prosperity. Farsighted and rich with data, Religion and the Struggle for European Union offers a pragmatic way forward in the EU's attempts to solve its social, economic, and political crises.
Trade ReviewThey build a compelling, coherent argument. Their narrative is rich with quotations that blend religious symbolism with political aspirations... The argument rests on a firm foundation of statistical analysis: Nelsen and Guth have pioneered the use of Eurobarometer data to explore the correlations between religious devotion and European identity, putting the findings of their many (large) statistical models to good use here. Survival
Table of ContentsPreface Part I: The Framework1. Culture and Integration Part II: Confessional Cultures2. Common Roots3. Reformation and Reaction4. Political Movements Part III: Constructing a New Europe5. Postwar Preparation6. Catholic Construction7. Protestant Resistance Part IV: Divided Europe8. Member States and Elites9. Political Groups10. European Identity Index
