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Jour Fixe with Christiane Eilders, 31 May 2010
05/26/2010
We are pleased to invite you to the Jour Fixe presentation by Prof. Dr. Christiane Eilders on: “Making sense of the EU: A conceptional framework for the analysis of European identity constructions in public discourse?”. Dr. Marianne van de Steeg will be discussant.
The Jour Fixe begins at 4.15 pm (16.15 Uhr st) and takes place at Ihnestr. 26, Room 202.
Abstract
This paper develops a new theoretical framework for the analysis of European identity. It strongly draws on public sphere theories and puts an emphasis on collective rather than individual identity. The framework is based on the assumption that a society’s collective identity is constructed by societal actors in national public discourses. European identity is regarded as a result of the identity-related debates in the public sphere and thus reflects the concept of public opinion in the forum model of public sphere theory. Since it can easily be assessed by political elites via the media it is likely to influence political decision making. European identity in this framework includes both a society’s self-concept as a part of the EU, and the interpretation of the EU as an either economic, political or cultural community or as a geographically determined unit. The respective interpretation is conceptualized as identity framing in public discourse. It is assumed that the particular framing of the EU affects the sense of belonging to the EU and that both factors depend on the degree the EU can be experienced as community in everyday life.
