National Identity In Europe Research Articles

Contrasting media representations of race and national identity: The case of England and Italy at the Union of European Football Associations Euro 2020

The continuous growth of international sport events as media spectacles has magnified their ability to project ideas of nationhood. In media coverage, the athletes/players are portrayed as the embodiment of the ‘nation’, but this process is far from linear. Historically, mass media have constructed highly gendered and restricted ideas of the nation, placing women and ethnic minorities at the margins or erasing them altogether. The analysis of the coverage of the England and Italy men’s teams at the Euro 2020 brings to the forefront the persistence, but also the evolution, of such tensions. Combining critical discourse analysis with theories of race and racialisation, this article aims to unpack the often-overlooked role of ‘race’ in the articulation of national identity in Europe. While the England team proudly embraced the ethnic diversity of British society, Italy was the only Western European team not to select players with an immigrant background or ethnic minorities. By looking at a British popular newspaper, Daily Mail, and at an Italian one, Corriere della Sera, this article provides a necessary update to the understanding of the function of mass media as ‘gatekeepers’ of the nation.

Głuchoniemcy w polskim dyskursie naukowym i publicznym od XVIII wieku do okresu PRL

The author analyses the history of scientific and public discourses growing around the phenom-enon of Głuchoniemcy (Deaf‑Germans) in Poland. In the literature, this term refers to the des-cendants of the German‑speaking colonists who settled in the Polish‑Ruthenian border in the mid‑fourteenth century. The history of interest in this phenomenon from the eighteenth to the twentieth century reflects the cultural changes and social tensions over time. These descendants of the German‑speaking colonists living in the Carpathian Foothills were mentioned for the first time in the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth century as a regional phenomenon of cultural diversity. In the era of Romanticism, when the importance of national identity in Europe grew, so‑called Deaf Germans were portrayed as fully assimilated Polish settlers with only relics refer-ring to German culture. At the end of the nineteenth century, after the publication of Józef Szujski, they became the subject of a political debate and were placed in the context of peasant history. Finally, the socio‑political situation of the interwar period led to the term “Głuchoniemcy” being removed from scientific and public discourses for many decades. After World War II, the absence of the topic became permanent, still directly related to the Polish‑German antagonism that set the directions of scientific interests of ethnographers and historians in Poland. The article tries to answer the question about the course of these changes in the perception of Deaf Germans by looking for external causes as well as those resulting from the nature of the subject of interest.

The European idea and national identity in Ukrainian literature at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries

The article presents the process of modernization of Ukrainian literature at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. On the one hand, the author analyzes the adaptation of the European idea and culture to Ukrainian realities, on the other hand, the evolution of nationalism reaching its maturity phase is observed in the text. This is evidenced by the declarations and programs published in such magazines as Ukrain'ska Khata [Ukrainian Hut] during the years 1909–1914, especially by the articles of Mykola Yevshan and Andriy Tovkachevsky. The discussions that took place during that period were particularly signifi cant in establishing the direction for the development of national culture. Ukrainian literature acquires the features of cultural openness and dialogue, which are clearly illustrated by the works of its prominent authors such as Ivan Franko, Lesia Ukrainka, Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky, Olha Kobylianska, Ahatanhel Krymsky.

NATIONAL IDENTITY AS A FACTOR IN OF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY: A POLITICAL AND LEGAL ANALYSIS

The article analyses such phenomena as national identity, Ukrainian national identity and their impact on state and international security. The essence of national identity, the factors of its formation, the influence of various factors on the development of this phenomenon are revealed. The study of national identity in terms of security is conditioned by modern socio-political realities, international conflicts, crises and wars. The author proves the necessity of reaching consensus through the formation of a national idea, structuring of identification patterns based on national identity and an effective system of political communication in order to achieve dialogue and ensure security at various levels. Attention is drawn to the impact of powerful migration processes on the formation of national identity in Europe and North America. The author emphasises the need to take these processes into account when making important political decisions, laws and legislative acts, creating certain political institutions, shaping the state's cultural policy, etc. The Ukrainian national identity is considered in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war, which has become an additional factor in the awareness of Ukrainian national identity for citizens of other nationalities in Ukraine. On the other hand, the aggressor country carries out not only military actions, but also a powerful manipulative influence on citizens of the Russian Federation, other countries of the world, and Ukrainians. The author analyses the impact of information and communication technologies on international security. Attention is drawn to the difficulty of implementing the existing provisions of international law in terms of the responsibility of aggressor states for their crimes. It is about building trust and dialogue between the government and citizens. The author emphasises the urgency of finding political and legal mechanisms to influence aggressor states and bring them to justice.

Anglo-British exceptionalism and the European “Other”: white masculinities in discourses of British national identity

ABSTRACT Gender as a concept is essential for understanding British/English national identity. Feminist and queer scholars note that gender and sexuality are central to politics, yet frequently omitted from political analysis. Some scholars have highlighted the hegemonic masculinities that underpinned Brexit campaigns, but the role of gender in the construction of national identity in Europe has not been analyzed in depth. Combining the literature on national and European identities with feminist theories of gender and nationalism, I outline four discourses of Anglo-British exceptionalism: (1) British sovereignty and military power; (2) the British as defenders of liberty; (3) Britain as a global trading nation; and (4) England as a white Protestant “island nation.” Constructed in relation the European “Other,” these discourses are underpinned by gender-based hierarchies that intersect with class, race, and sexuality. These findings demonstrate the need for feminist and gender analysis not only of the UK’s relationship with the European Union (EU) but also more broadly within political science and EU studies.

UNITY AND DIVERSITY IN EUROPEAN CULTURE

The author studies the role played by the national culture in the present day European cultural context. The European institutions have to solve, among other problems, the problem of European identity versus national identity. The findings show that the cultural dimension in the European Union is taken into consideration both by the Council of Europe and the European Commission and that different measures were taken to respect and to promote the diversity of European cultures, to bring the people of Europe together and to increase the sense of a European identity. The author analyses the cultural diversity in Banat, Romania, an example of the assimilation of the cultural values keeping at the same time its specific value and identity.

Popular understandings of national identity in Europe: Still a gulf between West and East?

AbstractThe paper draws on 2008 and 2017 European Values Study (EVS) data to analyse the differences in popular understandings of national identity between Western and Eastern European countries as well as the changes in popular views over the 2010s. Using latent class analysis (LCA), five categories of respondents are identified according to people's understandings of national identity—anti‐ascriptive nationalists, liberal nationalists, voluntarist‐leaning multiple nationalists, moderate nationalists and ardent nationalists. While on average half of the Western countries' respondents of the 2017 EVS wave thought that ascriptive criteria of national membership (ancestry, place of birth) were not important while voluntarist (respect for the institutions/laws, speaking the national language) were, the corresponding proportion in an average Eastern country was just over 20%. It is argued that persistent and historically ingrained differences in popular conceptions of nationhood between West and East are contributing to policy tensions within the EU, most notably in the management of migration and refugee flows. Furthermore, the article found no evidence that the gap between Western and Eastern Europe in popular nationhood views was decreasing over the 2010s.

The importance of christianity, customs, and traditions in the national identities of European countries

Christianity has lost its salience, but customs and traditions maintained their importance in forming national identity in Europe. Using the ISSP National Identity 2003 and 2013 data from 17 European countries, this article tests how the salience of Christianity and sharing of national customs and traditions varies according to the share of Muslim and immigrant population, and whether the association changed across time. Multilevel regressions show that the link between the size of the Muslim population and the salience of Christianity changed between 2003 and 2013. In 2003, the link was negative. In 2013, respondents from countries with larger Muslim populations were more concerned about Christian background of nationals. The link between the share of immigrants and the demand on sharing national customs and traditions changed as well. In 2003, it was negative but, by 2013, it flattened out.

Na pograniczu narodów i kultur: Polska–Europa–Ameryka [At the borderlands of nations and cultures: Poland—Europe—America

<i>Na pograniczu narodów i kultur: Polska–Europa–Ameryka</i> [At the borderlands of nations and cultures: Poland—Europe—America

From Nature Romanticism to Eco-Nationalism: The Development of the Concept of Estonians as a Forest Nation

Forest plays an important role in many North European national identities. The Estonian example is one of the extreme cases as Estonians consider themselves a forest nation, the claim being backed up with references to both history and contemporary data. The article explores diachronically the formation of this motif in the Estonian national narrative and studies the nuances of intellectual and social history that have shaped the development of the concept from ethnic nature to eco-nationalism.

Dark-skinned pioneers in European national football teams: patterns and stories

ABSTRACT A national football team is perceived as symbol of the national identity. One of the elements of European national identity is race. At the beginning of twentieth century on the Old Continent, most of the state teams’ players were light-skinned, likewise the other citizens of their countries. Nevertheless, since the 1930s it has been observing the growing process of appearance of dark-skinned players in subsequent national football teams. The paper explores the emergence of the dark-skinned football players in European national teams (UEFA members). It considers all the 39 cases of the dark-skinned pioneers in European national teams – from Andrew Watson (Scotland, debut in national team in 1881) to Ariclenes da Silva Ferreira ‘Ari’ (Russia, debut in 2018). Based on them, the text distinguishes the seven waves of this interracial transnationalism.

On National Anniversaries: Greece, 1821-2021

ABSTRACT Born in Athens in 1937, Constantine (Konstantinos) Tsoukalas belongs to that rare generation of organic intellectuals that experienced some of the most important historical events of the 20th century: Greece’s devastating German occupation, the Soviet interventions in Hungary and Czechoslovakia in 1956 and 1968 respectively, the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s, the Vietnam war and the collapse of the Bretton Woods system, the rise and fall of the Greek dictatorship (1967–1974), Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus, the two oil crises (1973 and 1979), the collapse of the Keynesian consensus in the 1980s, the break-up of the Soviet bloc and the transformations and expansions of NATO and the EU, the failure of Eurocommunism and the crisis of Marxism, the triumph of Thatcherism and Reaganism—to name but some of the most important ones. More recently, he experienced the global financial crisis and the Eurozone crisis that kneeled down his motherland, Greece, to an effective bankruptcy. In the course of his life, he lost precious comrades and friends, such as George Makris and Nicos Poulantzas, both of whom committed suicide in a similar manner: by throwing themselves from high buildings, the former in Athens, the latter in Paris. He taught in Universities in Paris and Greece—he is currently Professor Emeritus at the University of Athens—and spent many years in European and North American University institutions lecturing, researching and debating about how to understand the modern capitalist world and how to fight politically the social injustices embedded in it. In the Anglo-American world, he became known in the late 1960s, when Penguin published his short book, The Greek Tragedy, a magnificent historical account documenting Greece’s historical course and the advent of the dictatorship in 1967. In Greece he is a celebrated social theorist and sociologist with dozens of best-selling books in the combined fields of social theory and political and economic sociology. Some of us sitting on the Editorial Board of this journal were taught by Tsoukalas in the 1980s at the University of Athens. The theatre was always packed. His lectures were so well-informed and extraordinary that even accomplished professionals working at nearby legal firms were leaving their work to come to attend them. In 1998, when we were building this journal, he accepted our invitation to come to give a talk on the European project, which was about to launch perhaps the most ambitious component of it, the Euro. The lecture, held at the London School of Economics, was attended by hundreds of students and staff, including some of his old friends—the event was chaired by Perry Anderson and was attended, among others, by Donald Sassoon, Peter Gowan, Robin Blackburn, Mike Newman and many others of his generation. In 2014 he accepted our invitation to come to UEL’s STAMP lecture to commemorate the untimely death of Peter Gowan, an event co-sponsored with the Ralph Miliband and Barry Amiel Trust. In January 2015 he became a MP, elected on Syriza’s lists. In 1999, Tsoukalas published in this journal’s launching issue, ‘European modernity and Greek national identity’. This is a follow-up text in the same anti-nationalist vein on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the (March 1821) Greek uprising against the Ottomans. We have omitted heavy referencing to render the text with the immediacy it deserves. It is a great honour to have him on the Advisory Board of our journal.

European Ideals and National Identity in Georgian Emigrant Literature of the XX Century

The political processes of the 20th century became a kind of test for Georgian writers, the passing of which was largely manifested by the writers’ physical presence-absence, the denial of their own beliefs. Immigrant literature has become a form of free expres-sion of dissident thoughts. The authors were forced to move to another language space for their spiritual and physical survival in order to at least somehow get closer to the national culture. However, new contradictions arose at the same time. Writers lived in a foreign country, in a society of a different mentality and worldview, for which the topic that was close to the Georgian way of life could possibly be completely alien and uninteresting. The works of Georgian emigrant authors could be incompatible or less compatible with foreign literary discourse.The goal of writers and poets of the early 20th century was to remove the shack-les of imperialism from Georgia and to become closer to Europe. The Soviet authori-ties launched a cruel and immoral campaign against the writer, caused by the ideolo-gy of that time. One of the outstanding representatives of this particular era was Grigol Robakidze. The present paper deals with the research and analysis of the movement that began at the beginning of the 20th century and was aimed at bringing Georgia closer to Europe; it also discusses the reasons that served the public to appeal to European ideals and how the struggle went on to establish their cultural values. Grigol Robaki-dze's German-language work is essentially a part of Georgian literature.The writer was delighted with the poetic greatness of the Georgian language and its capabilities. Robakidze's works clearly show his selfless love for the mother-land. He was in love with the Georgian language, the Georgian land, the Georgian character and, in general, with everything Georgian. It is easy to imagine that the stay in emigration even more strengthened the writer's patriotic feelings. The creative path of the emigrant writer was in expressing his own and national identity, on the one hand, and in adapting to the literary environment, the part of which the author should have become himself, on the other hand. Thus, he did not move away from his native roots and found his place in a foreign literary discourse.

Есть ли шанс появления европейской нации в современной Европе?

The purpose of this article is to consider the possibility of emergence of a European nation in modern Europe, the formation of European identity. The EU consists of the EU member states, where national identity is an entrenched concept. The article considers the correlation of national identity and European identity, as well as the possibility of transformation, addition or replacement of one by another. The EU is a new form of political entity, which has supranational, transnational and interstate characteristics, which can contribute to the development of various forms of identities and belonging. The purpose of this article is to consider the politics of recognition as a starting point for research on European national identity. The politics of identity pursued in Europe does not necessarily lead to the victory of national identity over European one. The citizens of these countries have a set of different identities, and the process of European integration facilitates the process of coexistence of different types of identities, and there may even be a competition between these two identities: national and European. The author analyzes the changes taking place in modern European society and the reasons that influence the development of events. These questions relate to the deep feelings and beliefs of the population of these countries, therefore, consideration of these issues must be given close attention. The author suggests analyzing this issue from within, using the research of the Europeans themselves. For analysis, the material of the ARENA Center for European Studies and the works of its leader John Eric Fossum, a professor at the University of Oslo and other researchers on this issue are used. The author explores the scope of the concept of national identity at the present stage, its characteristics and its change. A comparative analysis helps to determine the characteristics of the European identity and prospects for its formation. The article discusses four scenarios, each of which contains a certain structure of institutions and a method of recognizing identity; all this helps to understand the ongoing processes and prospects for the development of identity policy in the EU. All these scenarios to a certain extent characterize the state of affairs in modern Europe.

An Odessan Nationality? Local Patriotism and Jewish Nationalism in the Case of Vladimir Jabotinsky

It is a commonplace that the effort to diffuse and disseminate a modern national identity in Europe and elsewhere in no way meant the complete abandonment of earlier local identities. Rather, the champions of the European national movements frequently integrated elements of a country‐based patriotism (Landespatriotismus), enlightened regionalism, and localism. When it comes, however, to the origins of European Zionism, the widespread wisdom is that in this case the component of localism and regionalism in the lands of origin of Diaspora Jews was “out of the question,” for there were no concrete geographical or historical ties between their places of residence in the Diaspora and Palestine. The present article aims to contribute to revisiting this opinion, focusing on the Russian‐Jewish author Vladimir Jabotinsky (1880–1940)–a prominent Zionist right‐wing leader, who at one and the same time publicly and forcefully expressed positions of local patriotism regarding his native city of Odessa. Based on hitherto unexplored texts written by Jabotinsky, the article shows that the local attachment to the city of Odessa and to the Southern Ukrainian region of Czarist Empire played in Jabotinsky's Zionism a role comparable to the functioning of the localism and the regionalism in the European nationalisms.

The Grand Embassy of Peter the First: European Experience and National Identity

The Grand Embassy of Peter the First: European Experience and National Identity

Volker Prott, The Politics of Self-Determination: Remaking Territories and National Identities in Europe 1917–1923

Volker Prott, The Politics of Self-Determination: Remaking Territories and National Identities in Europe 1917–1923

(New) Bulgarian Enlighteners and Ambassadors? The Reinvention of National Identity in Times of Crisis

AbstractDrawing on empirical data from 37 Bulgarian students and young professionals in the UK, this article explores the intersection of the discourses produced by the European crises and migrants' national identity. In Bulgaria, the crisis narrative is embedded in the arguably never‐ending democratic transition, manifested in socio‐economic instability and political volatility. Simultaneously, “Brexit Britain” is enveloped in strong Eurosceptic sentiments, propelled by a combination of austerity measures and intensified Eastern European migratory flows. Both contexts subject Bulgarian migrants to stigmatizing representations. Looking at migrants' everyday practices, the data reveals that young Bulgarians draw on the related ideas of the “new” Enlightener and Ambassador to counterbalance negative discourses. Thus, the article explores the meanings and significance attributed to the Enlighteners and the Ambassadors, arguing that the participants engage in “social creativity” and “individual mobility” strategies that lead to reinvention of national identity.

Identity threat and identity multiplicity among minority youth: Longitudinal relations of perceived discrimination with ethnic, religious, and national identification in Germany.

The notion that ethnic and religious minority identities are inherently incompatible with the national identities of European immigrant‐receiving societies is popular in public discourse. Although findings documenting such negative associations seemingly support this claim, other research shows that the intergroup context matters for the extent to which minorities’ ethnic and religious identities are conflicting (i.e., negatively associated) or compatible (i.e., positively associated) with European national identities. However, previous research relied on cross‐sectional data and therefore could not capture the dynamic process through which minority youth come to develop compatible or conflicting identification patterns. We extend this work with a longitudinal approach by capturing developmental trajectories of identity multiplicity among ethnic minority early adolescents in Germany over three waves with 9‐month intervals. At each measurement point, participants reported their ethnic, religious, and (German) national identification and their experiences with discriminatory treatment. We estimate a cross‐lagged panel model to study how identification relates to perceived discrimination and how this affects (changes in) associations between ethnic, religious, and national identification of minority youth. Our results show prevalent positive associations between ethnic, religious, and national identification across minority youth in the sample. Those who report more frequent discrimination, however, lower their (German) national identification over time, which in turn predicts increased minority identification. We conclude that identity threat indeed triggers a development of more conflicting identification patterns.

Migration challenges to common European identity: between myths and reality

The article discusses attempts to create European identity and the threats posed by Muslim migration from the Middle East and the African continent. The system of building national identity and ideological base for uniting people and creating a nation is analyzed. Article conducts comparative analysis of the construction of national identity in Europe, in different periods of history. The system of building national identity in Italy, Germany and the Soviet Union is analyzed. The article analyzes the current weakness of European identity, which is threatened by Muslim expansionism in Europe and European nationalism.