Search results

In this article I empirically test three of the most significant theories about the emergence of a European identity. The three approaches considered here are, respectively: first, a "cultural" theory, which understands identities as being based on ethno-cultural factors generated through a long-term (historical) process; second, an "instrumental" theory, which conceives of identities as being based on self-interested calculation (whether economic or political); & a third "civic" theory, which understands identities as being based on agreement over rules for peaceful political co-existence. I also pay attention to a general common preoccupation, within these theories: the relation between citizens' European & national identities. The empirical test of these theories exploits Eurobarometer data. In recent years, many researchers have become increasingly dissatisfied with the way these surveys poll attitudes towards the EU. The article contributes to this debate by designing special new questions to measure national & European identities which were included in Eurobarometer 57.2 & are used here for this analysis. The results provide only partial support for the theories mentioned above. None of them is completely correct, although some parts apply either to the national or the supra-national level. The article points also to the factors that make national & European identities compatible (or inclusive), & the factors that explain why these two identities are more compatible in some countries than in others. Tables, Appendixes, References. Adapted from the source document.

This article analyzes European & national identities & the way they relate to each other in the discourse of ordinary Spanish citizens. The analysis is based on 24 interviews with ordinary citizens & three focus groups carried out with former Erasmus students, returned emigrants, & managers of firms of European multinational capital located in Spain. We find that people with some personal experience of other European countries reinforce their national as well as their European identity. Both identities are ambiguous & difficult to define, but contexts seem to be more important for the definition of the European identity. Spaniards define themselves as Europeans mainly in opposition to other continents & cultures that are perceived as different, & more specifically to the United States & Muslim countries. The results allow us to be optimistic with respect to the future development of an European identity in Spain, since the experiences which generate this identity will continue to occur in the foreseeable future & will probably even become more common. From a methodological perspective, our findings suggest modifications in the design of questionnaires used for quantitative studies. Appendixes, References. Adapted from the source document.