IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/intare/v5y2002i1p69-80.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Eurosceptic Concerns about National Identity in the European Union

Author

Listed:
  • Menno Spiering

Abstract

The deepening and expansion of the European Union has sparked an increase in Euroscepticism. This article explores one recurrent feature of Eurosceptic discourse: a grave concern for national identity. Arguing from a nationalistic point of view, one group claims that existing national identities should be protected from creeping Europeanisation. Other Eurosceptics hold that national identity and the nation state are the cornerstones of democracy. Consequently they see the development of the EU as a dangerous experiment. The article then proceeds to chart and examine the responses of the European Union to these Eurosceptic concerns. One of the conclusions is that the EU has been right largely to disregard the voices of doom. The argument that democracy can only function in nation states is open to discussion, and it there is no call to pander to the wishes of nationalist Eurosceptics whose celebration of national identity often borders on xenophobia.

Suggested Citation

  • Menno Spiering, 2002. "Eurosceptic Concerns about National Identity in the European Union," International Area Studies Review, Center for International Area Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, vol. 5(1), pages 69-80, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:intare:v:5:y:2002:i:1:p:69-80
    DOI: 10.1177/223386590200500104
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/223386590200500104
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/223386590200500104?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:intare:v:5:y:2002:i:1:p:69-80. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.hufs.ac.kr/user/hufsenglish/re_1.jsp .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.