An Identity For Europe

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Description

This book looks at the role of multiculturalism in the complex construction of the European Union, acknowledging the tension of creating a new political space for identities that are simultaneously national, regional, linguistic, and religious, and yet strive to encompass a political and geographic whole.

The author investigates the difficulty of conjugating the complex, pluralistic sense of belonging that individuals and groups in the EU experience in efforts to form a cohesive political identity, and one that is expressly European. Review: The process of European unification raises one set of difficulties for the self-understanding of nationals of the member-states: Are we citizens of country X, or Europeans?

The presence of minorities -- whether indigenous or immigrant -- creates further conundrums, for these relativize the status of the dominant group. Add the question of whether Turkey is 'European, ' and the dilemmas are legion. This volume contributes context and perspective to the vexed debate over what 'Europe' is and where multiculturalism might fit into its future.

A valuable addition to a complex discussion. -- John Torpey, Professor of Sociology, City University of New York, Graduate Center