The Forming of the European Identity: between Cultural Essentialism and Social Constructivism
Keywords:
European identity, discourse, (cultural) essentialism, social constructivism
Abstract
This paper analyzes a notion of "European identity" that in academic discourse is represented by two models of conceptualization: essentialist vs discoursive - constructionist. A plea for "building up" of European identity by J. Habermas and J. Derrida is considered as a sample of contradictions in this construction approach due to its reifying, unifying and essentialist connotation. According to the outlined conceptualizations the phenomena of European identity is studied in the context of "cultural shift" in the EU integration policy.
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References
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3. Fontana, J. The Distorted Path: A Reinterpretation of European History. – Oxford: Blackwell, 2005;
4. Field, H. EU Cultural Policy and The Creation of a Common European Identity. [Електронний ресурс] Режим доступу: (Завантажено: 8 May 2006);
5. Sassatelli, M. Imagined Europe: The Shaping of a European Cultural Identity through EU Cultural Policy // European Journal of Social Theory. – 2002. – Vol.5. – № 4. – P. 435-451;
6. Shore, C. "In Uno Plures"(?) EU Cultural Policy and the Governance of Europe // Cultural Analysis. – 2006. – № 5. – P. 7-26;
7. Sassatelli, M. An interview with Alessandro Ferrara: 'Europe, Authenticity and Unavailable Identities' // European Journal of Social Theory. – 2008 – Vol.11. – № 3. – Р. 421-437;
8. Wodak, R. and Chilton, P. (eds) A New Agenda in (Critical) Discourse Analysis. – Amsterdam and New York: John Benjamins, 2005. xiii + 321 pp;
9. Mokre, M. Transnational Policy as a Prerequisite for Democracy / In: Robins K (ed.) The Challenge of Transcultural Diversities: Cultural Policy and Cultural Diversity. – Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing, 2006. - P. 69-80;
10. Sassatelli, M. An interview with Jack Goody: 'Europe, identity thefts and missed renaissances' // European Journal of Social Theory. – 2010. – Vol.13. – № 4. – P. 539-548;
11. Risse, T. A Community of Europeans?: Transnational Identities and Public Spheres. – Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2010. - Р. 287;
12. Delanty, G. The Limits and Possibility of a European Identity: A Critique of Cultural Essentialism // Philosophy and Social Criticism. – 2005. – Vol.21. – № 4. – P. 15-36;
13. Joas, H. The Changing Role of the Social Sciences An Action-Theoretical Perpective // International Sociology. – 2004. – Vol.19. – № 3. – P. 301-313;
14. Brubaker, R. and Cooper, F. Beyond Identity // Theory and Society. – 2000. – Vol.29. – № 1. – P. 1–47;
15. Habermas J., Derrida J. February 15, or, What Binds Europeans Together: Plea for a Common European Policy, Beginning in Core Europe // Constellations. – 2003. – Vol.10. – № 3. – Р. 291-297;
16. Heins, V. Orientalising America? Continental Intellectuals and the Search for Europe’s Identity // Millennium: Journal of International Studies. – 2005. – Vol.34. – № 2. – P. 433-448.
Published
2019-08-28
How to Cite
Pasisnychenko, A. (2019). The Forming of the European Identity: between Cultural Essentialism and Social Constructivism. Visnyk of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. Series "Sociological Studies of Contemporary Society: Methodology, Theory, methods", (993), 38-43. Retrieved from https://periodicals.karazin.ua/ssms/article/view/14051
Issue
Section
Theoretical and Methodological Problems of Sociology
