Full Description
As a consequence of various rounds of EU enlargements, the degree of cultural diversity in Europe has intensified - a phenomenon which is increasingly perceived as problematic by many EU citizens. This fascinating book not only empirically explores the current state of the identity and the legitimacy of the EU as viewed by its citizens, but also evaluates their attitudes towards it. The expert contributors show that the development of a European identity and a common European culture is a prerequisite for European integration; that European identity and a common political culture will not develop rapidly but emerge slowly, and that the beginnings of a European identity and a common European culture are currently emerging. The roles of civil society organizations and political parties are examined within this context, and an explanatory model with subjective predictors of the attitudes towards the EU is tested. The empirical analysis is underpinned by a theoretical framework incorporating operational definitions and conceptual discussion of legitimacy and identity.
This intriguing and thought-provoking book will be of great interest to academics, researchers and students focusing on political science and international relations.
Contents
Contents:
Preface and introduction
Hans-Dieter Klingemann and Dieter Fuchs
PART I: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
1. Cultural Diversity, European Identity and Legitimacy of the EU: A Review of the Debate
Olivier Ruchet
2. Cultural Diversity, European Identity and Legitimacy of the EU: A Theoretical Framework
Dieter Fuchs
PART II: EUROPEAN IDENTITY, NATIONAL IDENTITY AND SUPPORT FOR THE EU
3. Support of the EU and European Identity: Some Descriptive Results
Dieter Fuchs and Christian Schneider
4. Multiple Identities and Attitudes Towards Cultural Diversity in Europe: A Conceptual and Empirical Analysis
Andrea Schlenker-Fischer
5. National and European Identity: The Case of France
Isabelle Guinaudeau
PART III: ATTITUDE FORMATION TOWARDS THE EU
6. Deliberation and the Process of Identity Formation: Civil Society Organizations and Constitution Making in the EU
Julia De Clerck-Sachsse
7. National Political Conflict and Identity Formation: The Diverse Nature of the Threat from the Extreme Left and Extreme Populist Right
Simon Bornschier
8. Making the Polity: Exploring the Linkage between European Citizens' and Political Elites' Preference for European Union Public Policy
Catherine E. de Vries and Christine Arnold
9. Explaining Support for European Integration: An Attitudinal Model
Dieter Fuchs
10. Cultural Diversity, European Identity and Legitimacy of the EU: Summary and Discussion
Dieter Fuchs, Hans-Dieter Klingemann and Andrea Schlenker-Fischer
Index
