Overview

Mention the word Europe in today's society and you are greeted with a range of responses, from impassioned debate, to scepticism and outright hostility. Yet long before the emergence of the modern European Union, the concept of Europe played a vital role in the creation of national identity. This book considers the wealth of contemporary and historical attitudes towards Europe and how these vary both within and between nation-states. Why are some countries 'Europhiles' whilst others are 'Europhobic'? How has Europe alternately been perceived as a threat to local culture and identity or as the core of nation-building? Why are individual responses to Europe so diverse? Comparing and contrasting experiences from twelve very different countries, the authors explore the multitude of ways in which established national discourses are reconciled with an emerging identity within the EU. In doing so, this book makes an important contribution to what has proved to be one of the most controversial and heated debates of our time.

Full Product Details

Author:   Mikael af Malmborg ,  Bo Stråth (University of Helsinki, Finland)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Berg Publishers
Dimensions:   Width: 13.80cm , Height: 1.70cm , Length: 21.60cm
Weight:   0.535kg
ISBN:  

9781859735763

ISBN 10:   1859735762
Pages:   224
Publication Date:   01 June 2002
Audience:   General/trade ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The National Meanings of Europe 1The Irony of Symbolic Reciprocities - The Greek Meaning of 'Europe' as a Historical Inversion of the European Meaning of 'Greece' 2The Dual Appeal of 'Europe' in Italy 3'Europeanism' versus 'Africanism': 'Europe' as a Symbol of Modernity and Democratic Renewal in Spain 4Us or Them? The Meaning of Europe in British Political Discourse 5The Swedish Image of a Mission Civilisatrice and the Demarcation to Europe 6On the Brink or In-between? The conception of Europe in Finnish identity 7Europe's Eastern Outpost? The Meanings of 'Europe' in Baltic Discourses 8USSR to Gorbachev to Putin: Perestroika as a Failed Excursion from 'the West' to 'Europe' in Russian Discourse 9The Complex of an Unwanted Child: The Meanings of Europe in Polish Discourse 10The Czech Discourse on Europe, 1848-1948 11A.E.I.O.U. - Austria Europae Imago, Onus, Unio? 12Continuities and Changes of Europe in German National Identity 13The Meanings of Europe in French National Discourse: A French Europe or an Europeanized France?

Reviews

'A thought-provoking volume.'Journal of European Studies

'A thought-provoking volume.' Journal of European Studies

Author Information

Mikael af Malmborg is Formerly Senior Researcher at the Swedish Research Council and affiliated with the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. Bo Strth is Professor of Contemporary History at the European University Institute, Florence.

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