Peter Lang Gmbh, Internationaler Verlag Der Wissenschaften Debating European Identity: Bright Ideas, Dim Prospects

Product Description This edited volume, premised on the development and survival of the European integrationist project, tackles some crucial questions which have the potential to affect European Union performance if not addressed properly and in a timely manner. It evaluates the basic understanding and power of European identity as a medium in the overall process, as well as the responses offered by the individual states and supranational elites and their respective publics. Needless to say, economic, political and social aspects are serious enough individually that each can challenge and erode further the often problematic connection between the elites and the public – a connection confirming its full relevance in times of crisis when the future of European unity seems even less certain. Review «Defying disciplinary boundaries, this superb volume brings together diverse perspectives on the concept and power of European identity. I know of no other collection that spans the theoretical and empirical range of this volume. It is a must-read for scholars of the European Union in all disciplines.» (Professor Beverly Crawford, Institute of European Studies, University of California, Berkeley) «A timely book at a critical moment when the European Union finds itself once more at a difficult crossroads. This volume sheds lights into the processes of creating a European identity so far and how such processes relate to politics, geopolitics, economics, religion and democracy.» (Professor Anna Triandafyllidou, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute) «The question of identity is at the heart of the debate about the future of Europe and of the EU. This collection of essays, stressing the constructive and contingent character of political identity, reveals the complexity of identity politics in a time of crisis, illuminating in a subtle way the choices that Europeans face.» (Professor Albert Weale, School of Public Policy, University College London) About the Author Branislav Radeljić is Senior Lecturer in International Politics within the School of Law and Social Sciences, University of East London.