Economical, Political, and Social Identity of the European Union
[pic]
Economical, political and social identity of European union:
How can an European union ‘citizen’ identity be produced?
Zuzana Kokindová
ESF MUNI 2008
European Union today has 27 member states. It didn’t happen just from one day to another, it has a long history. It started with The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951 and became through long process The European Union (1993) which is based on Maastricht Treaty. This treaty, for the first time, talk about union between people, not just in business sphere.
“We are not forming coalitions between states but union between people” (Jean Monnet)
Since this time people more and more talk about European identity. It is just a term that somebody created or it is reality? Can a European identity be developed?
At the beginning I would like to explain identity, on national and also on E.U. level and what they have common. After that will be explained two perspectives, about the way how E.U. identity can be produced. Firstly essentialism, after that constructivism and some examples from E.U. reality. Some facts from Barometer and my conclusion, how E.U. identity can look like.
Now we stand in front of first question. What really means identity? When we take national identity, it is something based on history, literature, values, culture, media - these create some symbols, rituals, national language, some stories, historical events - something based on shared experiences, which give meaning to the nation. It is a big process, it is not something what is ended, identity is created every day.
E.U. has also a lot of perspectives to create identity. In comparison to national identity it has also similar assumptions to create own identity. It has own history: since 1952 when ECSC was established but not just from this date, if we take the history from each nation, it is not just about that one nation, in that history are a lot of
Economical, political and social identity of European union:
How can an European union ‘citizen’ identity be produced?
Zuzana Kokindová
ESF MUNI 2008
European Union today has 27 member states. It didn’t happen just from one day to another, it has a long history. It started with The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951 and became through long process The European Union (1993) which is based on Maastricht Treaty. This treaty, for the first time, talk about union between people, not just in business sphere.
“We are not forming coalitions between states but union between people” (Jean Monnet)
Since this time people more and more talk about European identity. It is just a term that somebody created or it is reality? Can a European identity be developed?
At the beginning I would like to explain identity, on national and also on E.U. level and what they have common. After that will be explained two perspectives, about the way how E.U. identity can be produced. Firstly essentialism, after that constructivism and some examples from E.U. reality. Some facts from Barometer and my conclusion, how E.U. identity can look like.
Now we stand in front of first question. What really means identity? When we take national identity, it is something based on history, literature, values, culture, media - these create some symbols, rituals, national language, some stories, historical events - something based on shared experiences, which give meaning to the nation. It is a big process, it is not something what is ended, identity is created every day.
E.U. has also a lot of perspectives to create identity. In comparison to national identity it has also similar assumptions to create own identity. It has own history: since 1952 when ECSC was established but not just from this date, if we take the history from each nation, it is not just about that one nation, in that history are a lot of
Bibliography: http://www.euroinfo.gov.sk/index/go.php?id=344 http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb68/eb68_first_en.pdf http://europa.eu.int http://www.arena.uio.no/publications/wp03_15.pdf http://www.coe.int/T/E/Com/Files/Themes/Identity/Col3_SG%20-%20RZ_One%20Europe.asp Social constructivism has come of age in contemporary international relations (IR), more and more submissions to presses and journals in both Europe and America constructivist or situate their arguments vis-à-vis those of . In substantive terms and as the three books under review attest, offer detailed empirical studies that amplify and enrich their