Seeking Unity In Diversity

This thesis chooses European identity as its object of research. It focuses on the following three questions: what are the foundations for the construction of European identity? what is the relationship between European identity and national identity? and what are the main cultural efforts that the EU has made for the construction of a supranational European identity? The central idea of this thesis is that a new supranational European identity is not established to replace national identities and to deny national cultural diversity, but is established and should be established on the precondition of respecting and protecting national identities and cultures. The "unity-in-diversity" way is the only one suitable for the creation of European identity.Following the division of the above three issues, this thesis accordingly consists of three chapters apart from the introduction and conclusion.Introduction makes an explanation to the terms of "identity", "national identity" and "European identity" respectively, and reviews the historical evolution of European identity, in addition to a brief introduction to the research background and an overall frame of the thesis.Chapter one discusses the foundations for the construction of European identity. Constructing a supranational identity should start with the commonness of European culture. A series of common historical and cultural heritages, such as the ancient Greek and Roman civilization, Christianity, the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution, have served as the foundations for the construction of European identity.Chapter two concentrates on the relationship between European identity and national identity. How to consider and deal with the relationship between European identity and national identity has become one of the most important problems in the process of the construction of European identity. This chapter first discusses and criticizes the opinions of both supranationalism and state-centrism which hold that the two identities are conflicting, and then uses three models of multiple identities to explain they can coexist. Next, according to an analysis of correlative public opinion polls, the thesis points out that both national and European ideas have been accepted by more and more EU citizens. This further proves the fact that European identity and national identity coexist.Chapter three discusses EU's two main cultural strategies for the construction of European identity. One is creating common European cultural symbols, the other is implementing cultural programmes and initiatives. These two strategies reveal that the EU constructs a supranational identity by way of promoting "unity" while maintaining "diversity".The conclusion sums up the whole thesis and gives an expectation for the future of European identity. It holds that a suprnational European identity can be "created".