The Postcolonial has Moved into Europe: Bordering, Security and Ethno‐Cultural Belonging

Abstract

AbstractThe legacy of European colonialisms and nationalisms has conditioned immigration and citizenship policies that inform the postcolonial move into Europe. This article questions the assumptions that undergird conceptions of boundary, territory and ethno‐cultural belonging in the constitution of Europe. In particular, it emphasizes how Europe and European integration must be read within the context of postcolonial globalization, migration and ethnicity in which the concept of postcolonialism is important not only for understanding how the idea of Europe was transferred to postcolonial societies, but also for arguing that colonialism never left Europe unaffected and is still part of European reality. Reading Europe and European integration through a postcolonial lens means taking seriously the challenges involved in the re‐assertion of national identities. It also provides a novel attempt to conceptualize the current economic crisis as being as much about contesting (national) narratives of economic transformations as of contrasting material developments and processes.