Study Of The Eu's Collective Identity

This thesis deals with European identity, mainly analyzing the concept ofEuropean identity, its function, and discusses how it comes into being. It focuses onfollowing three questions: What is European identity? Why is European identitynecessary? And how does it come into being? Firstly, the paper investigates the concept of European identity through theinterpretation of collective identity. Having reviewing the historical evolution ofEuropean identity, it addresses three aspects of European identity—European culturalidentity, EU citizenship and European diplomacy and defense identity in terms ofEuropean official discourse. Secondly, it argues that the objective of developing European identity is tocultivate the sense of belonging and the sense of identity of both European elite andpeople. The appearance of European identity constitutes the important process ofEuropean integration as well as the useful instrument that pushes it forward. Theestablishment of European identity is conducive to enhancing the legitimacy ofEuropean governance and to the solution of nationalism in European Union. Thirdly, based on theoretical hypotheses of collective identity, the paperclassifies the theories of European identity into two perspectives: primordialism andconstructivism. Drawing on the two perspectives, it puts forward a view ofconditional constructivism. The author deems that the establishment of Europeanidentity will be a consciously constructive process. But this process is not an arbitraryone, bound to be limited by both historical facts and conditions. Upon how toconstruct European identity, the author asserts that the cultivation of sense of positiveidentity is the basic principle. Fourthly, the paper discusses the relation between European identity and nationalidentity. Presently, how to remove the conflict between European identity and itsnational counterpart has become one of the most significant problems in theconstruction of European identity. Since national identity is still a positive identity toits members, therefore European identity should be constructed in the way that wouldguarantee mutual development. Consequently, pluralism becomes an essentialprinciple. Through analyzing relevant information about public opinion, it reveals thatEuropean identity plus national identity model has been accepted by increasinglymore people, which suggest that co-existence and reciprocal development of the two 3identities have become a fact. Nevertheless, member states of European Union stillhave different views to the relation between European identity and national identity,because each state has unique history and culture, which will leads to differentexperience and understanding. Finally, it discusses another important issue of European identity—European andothers. To display its distinctiveness and superiority in comparing with others hasalways been an important aspect of collective identity. In European history, theappearance of "Europe" was by no means independent of its contrast to others. Byprobing into the relations between Europeans and relevant others, such as Turkish,American and some other immigrants, the paper sheds lights on another aspect of theformation of European identity. The paper concludes that the development of European identity should drawlessons from history, take into account European future and the common interest ofevery nation, and further construct a sense of belonging, the consciousness ofcommon fate and the desire of shared life.