Download or read book The Question about European Identity in Latvia written by Zinaida Ebden and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2017-09-29 with total page 25 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2016 im Fachbereich Geschichte Europas - Neueste Geschichte, Europäische Einigung, Note: 1,3, Technische Hochschule Wildau, ehem. Technische Fachhochschule Wildau, Veranstaltung: European Identities, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: The aim of this paper is to answer the question, of which cultural and political criteria the concept of European identity within the member states of the EU is made of. By examining events of historical relevance, the author is going to investigate how national identity within Latvia has evolved and how this identity is linked to the idea of a European identity. Finally, the author is going to answer the question in what sense there is an understanding of and identification with the concept of European identity in Latvia today. For this purpose, the author will start with creating a theoretical basis for this paper by first examining the concept of identity from a cultural and sociological point of view. Then, the author will discuss the term of European identity by putting it into a political as well as societal context. In addition, the author will describe how national identity in Latvia has manifested itself in the course of time, both before and after Latvia‘s final independence in 1991. By using the results previously found, the author will establish a relationship between national and European identity in Latvia to finally answer the question to which extent there is an identification with the concept of European identity within Latvia‘s population today. Lastly, this paper will be completed with a summarizing conclusion.

Download or read book The Emigrant Communities of Latvia written by Rita Kaša and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-05-08 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access volume examines experiences of contemporary Latvian migrants, thereby focusing on reasons for emigration, processes of integration in their host countries, and – in the case of return migration - re-integration in their home country. In the context of European migration, the book describes the case of Latvia, which is interesting due to the multiple waves of excessive emigration, continuously high migration potential among European Union member states, and diverse migrant characteristics. It provides a fascinating insight into the social and psychological aspects linked to migration in a comparative context. The data in this volume is rich in providing individual level perspectives of contemporary Latvian migrants by addressing issues such as emigrants’ economic, social and cultural inclusion in the host country, ties with the home country and culture, interaction with public authorities both in the host and home country, political views, and perspectives on the permanent settlement in migration or return. Through topics such as assimilation of children, relationships between emigrants representing different emigration waves, the complex identities and attachments of minority emigrants, and the role of culture and media in identity formation and presentation, this book addresses topics that any contemporary emigrant community is faced with.

Download or read book Social Identity and the European Dimension written by Michael Byram and published by Council of Europe. This book was released on 2000-01-01 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is about the way that knowledge of the culture of countries can be integrated into the teaching of their language. The curriculum development project involved more than one hundred teachers from several European countries and is the result of collaboration between the Modern Languages Division of the Council of Europe and the European Centre for Modern Languages in Graz. It is especially useful for teachers who are interested in introducing a cultural dimension to their teaching and teacher trainers who wish to provide in-service training.

Download or read book The Construction of European Identity among Ethnic Minorities written by Natalia Waechter and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-07-17 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is concerned with European identities among ethnic minorities who live along the eastern border of the European Union. Based on findings from quantitative and qualitative empirical research conducted with minority groups in eight nation-states on both sides of the new eastern border of the EU, it investigates their attitudes and perceptions of the EU based on their constructions of European identity. Adopting a comparative approach, the author explores different processes of identity construction across several age and ethnic minority groups, to develop a theory of European identities in which ethnic identities can be seen as a missing link in explaining relationships between different national, regional and supranational identities. With new insights regarding the political, cultural and instrumental contents of European identity and its emergence, this volume will appeal to scholars of sociology and politics with interests in ethnic identity, European integration and identity research.

Download or read book European Identity in the Context of National Identity written by Bettina Westle and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016-04-29 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the age of grand recession, nationalism seems to have returned to Europe. In every EU country, many citizens are unhappy with the perceived intrusion of 'Europe' in their way-of-life. Any idea of a genuine pan-European identity seems to be in retreat. This book provides an unprecedented insight into the multiple ways through which citizens of 16 countries connect their own national identity to European identity. The book's theoretical claim is that European identity, as well as national identity, should be empirically assessed taking into account its multi-dimensionality. The volume's contributors suggest that European identity was always unlikely to be a source of political integration and political legitimacy in the way national identities have been in the past and are today. Europeans' primary identity is national rather than supranational. Mutual trust between European peoples exists, but is somewhat fragile. Yet, European identity is intertwined with national identities in manifold ways. The 'imagined communities' at the national and European level show strong similarities - criteria for being a European are strongly associated with the criteria used to define who national belonging. These complex links also manifest themselves in citizen's feelings of interdependence between the nations in the European Union - which, the volume suggests, support the EU in the face of severe crises. The IntUne series is edited by Maurizio Cotta (University of Siena) and Pierangelo Isernia (University of Siena). The INTUNE Project - Integrated and United: A Quest for Citizenship in an Ever Closer Europe - is one of the most recent and ambitious research attempts to empirically study how citizenship is changing in Europe. The book series is organized around the two main axes of the project, to report how the issues of identity, representation and standards of good governance are constructed and reconstructed at the elite and citizen levels, and how mass-elite interactions affect the ability of elites to shape identity, representation and the scope of governance. A first set of four books examines how identity, scope of governance and representation have been changing over time respectively at elites, media and public level. The next two books present cross-level analysis of European and national identity on the one hand and problems of national and European representation and scope of governance on the other, in doing so comparing data at both the mass and elite level. A concluding volume summarizes the main results, framing them in a wider theoretical context.

Download or read book The Legal Elements of European Identity written by Elspeth Guild and published by Kluwer Law International B.V.. This book was released on 2004-01-01 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The individual has become visible throughout Europe and within its institutions as a potential or actual rights holder. He or she is no longer defined as visible or invisible in law by the nation state alone. In today's Europe, he or she establishes identity'that is, the rights to entry, residence, work, family life, and protection from expulsion'through a multilayered legal structure involving the nation state, the EU, and the Council of Europe and all their political, administrative, and judicial arenas. In this remarkable study Elspeth Guild examines the ways in which law in Europe defines the status of the individual and his or her entitlements as regards identity. Among her enlightening approaches to this complex subject the following may be listed: the right to move across borders;the limitations of citizenship of the Union as currently construed;social benefits of citizenship;residence; immigration;family reunification;human rights of foreigners;asylum;expulsion and readmission;racial discrimination; andlong-resident third-country nationals. The analysis includes extensive reference to relevant cases, especially European Court of Justice and European Court of Human Rights decisions. This is a work of great value and insight. As more and more legislation is adopted in the area of European citizenship, courts will increasingly be called upon to articulate the relationship of individuals to the territory and society in which they find themselves. And as this inevitable development is defined, all jurists and legal academics who care for civil society in Europe will discover this deeply considered book afresh.

Download or read book Nature and National Identity After Communism written by Katrina Z. S. Schwartz and published by University of Pittsburgh Pre. This book was released on 2006-11-26 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this groundbreaking book, Katrina Schwartz examines the intersection of environmental politics, globalization, and national identity in a small East European country: modern-day Latvia. Based on extensive ethnographic research and lively discourse analysis, it explores that country's post-Soviet responses to European assistance and political pressure in nature management, biodiversity conservation, and rural development. These responses were shaped by hotly contested notions of national identity articulated as contrasting visions of the "ideal" rural landscape.The players in this story include Latvian farmers and other traditional rural dwellers, environmental advocates, and professionals with divided attitudes toward new European approaches to sustainable development. An entrenched set of forestry and land management practices, with roots in the Soviet and pre-Soviet eras, confront growing international pressures on a small country to conform to current (Western) notions of environmental responsibility—notions often perceived by Latvians to be at odds with local interests. While the case is that of Latvia, the dynamics Schwartz explores have wide applicability and speak powerfully to broader theoretical discussions about sustainable development, social constructions of nature, the sources of nationalism, and the impacts of globalization and regional integration on the traditional nation-state.

Download or read book European Integration and the Nationalities Question written by John McGarry and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2006-09-27 with total page 460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A highly topical examination of the effect of European integration on relations between states and minority nations. This new collection brings together the leading specialists in the field, and covers a wide range of cases, from Northern Ireland in the West, to Estonia and Latvia in the East, and Cyprus in the South-East. The contributors assess how European integration has affected the preparedness of states to accommodate minorities across a range of fundamental criteria, including: enhanced rights protection; autonomy; the provision of a voice for minorities in the European and international arena; and the promotion of cross-border cooperation among communities dissected by state frontiers. The comprehensive chapters stress the importance of the nationality question, and the fact that, contrary to the hopes and beliefs of many on the left and right, it is not going to go away. Beginning with an introductory essay that summarizes the impact of European integration on the nationalities question, this accessible book will be of strong interest to scholars and researchers of politics, nationalism, ethnic conflict and European studies.

Download or read book Cultural Diversity European Identity and the Legitimacy of the EU written by Dieter Fuchs and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2011-09-30 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Europe Faces Europe written by Johan Fornäs and published by Intellect (UK). This book was released on 2017 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Europe Faces Europe examines Eastern European perspectives on European identity. The contributors to this volume map narratives of Europe rooted in Eastern Europe, examining their relationship to philosophy, journalism, social movements, literary texts, visual art, and popular music. Moving the debate and research on European identity beyond the geographical power center, the essays explore how Europeanness is conceived of in the dynamic region of Eastern Europe. Offering a fresh take on European identity, Europe Faces Europe comes at an important time, when Eastern Europe and European identity are in an important and vibrant phase of transition.

Download or read book Explaining European Identity Formation written by Stephanie Bergbauer and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-10-24 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What makes people identify with Europe? To answer this question, this book analyzes the development and determinants of a common European identity among EU citizens from the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 to the recent financial and economic crisis. The author examines citizens’ identification with Europe for all EU member states, and systematically explores the theoretical and empirical implications of two turning points in the recent history of EU integration, namely the EU’s enlargement to Central and Eastern Europe in 2004/2007 and the financial and economic crisis that started in 2008. The book integrates theoretical approaches to European identity in sociology, social-psychology and EU public opinion research in a comprehensive model for explaining individual identification with Europe. The empirical analysis employs a multilevel framework to systematically assess the influence of individual characteristics and the political, economic, and social context on citizens’ feelings of identity. The long analysis period spanning from 1992 to the present allows inferences to be drawn about the long-term developments in the sources of European identification as well as the immediate impact of EU enlargement and the crisis on the determinants of European identification.

Download or read book Europa28 written by Hilary Cottam and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bringing together 28 acclaimed women writers, artists, scientists, and entrepreneurs from across Europe, this powerful and timely anthology looks at an ever-changing Europe from a variety of perspectives and offers hope and insight into how we might begin to rebuild.

Download or read book A History of the Baltic States written by Andres Kasekamp and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-10-26 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this key textbook, Andres Kasekamp masterfully traces the development of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, from the northern crusades against Europe's last pagans and Lithuania's rise to become one of medieval Europe's largest states, to their incorporation into the Russian Empire and the creation of their modern national identities. Employing a comparative approach, a particular emphasis is placed upon the last one hundred years, during which the Baltic states achieved independence, endured occupation by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, and transformed themselves into members of the European Union. This is an essential textbook for undergraduate students taking modules on Eastern or Central European History, Communism and Post-Communism, the Soviet Union, or Baltic Culture and Politics. Engaging and accessible, this is also an ideal introduction to the Baltic States for general readers.

Download or read book European Identity written by Paul Bayley and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2012-05 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: European Identity examines how Europe is represented linguistically in the news media of 4 EU countries: France, Italy, Poland, and the UK, through the use of an electronic corpus built from newspapers and tv news transcripts. The main aim is to demonstrate how linguistic analysis can make a key contribution to the analysis of political issues

Download or read book The Nationalization of Latvians and the Issue of Serfdom written by Andrew James Blumbergs and published by Cambria Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the second half of the eighteenth century, an intellectual discourse developed in Livonia which shed light on the disastrous social conditions of the indigenous population. This book examines the premise that the resulting "nationalization" of the Latvians occurred in the 1780s and 1790s as a result of a German Enlightenment in Livonia. It investigates the role that eighteenth-century anthropological, ethnographical, historical, and cultural ideas played in this process of "nationalizing" the Latvians, and focuses on the development of the arguments for agrarian and social change by proponents of reform in Livonia at this time. The work investigates the historical structures and processes that shaped the agrarian constitution of Livonia's society up to and including the eighteenth century. This involves a comparative historical analysis of critical aspects relevant to the transformation of the agrarian and social reform discourse in Livonia in the second half of the eighteenth century and its ramifications on how the Latvians were perceived by Germans within Livonia and beyond. The introduction and dissemination of Enlightenment thought in Livonia, with particular reference to the Livonian agrarian and social reform discourse, is also explored. Utilizing primary sources, some relatively unknown such as the Briefe of Andreas Meyer, this study provides first-hand historical perspectives on Livonian society and German attitudes towards the indigenous population. The main writers and works of the Livonian agrarian and social reform discourse in the 1780s and 1790s are also studied. The works of Johann von Jannau (1753-1821), Heinrich Wilhelm Christian Friebe (1761-1811), Karl Philip Michael Snell (1753-1806), and Garlieb Helwig Merkel (1769-1850) are considered central to the Livonian agrarian and social reform discourse of the late 1780s and 1790s. Some monographs, essays, and articles in Hupel's publications, particularly the Nordische Miscellaneen, are also considered. It is purported that the first steps towards the "nationalization" of Latvian identity occurred as the result of new historical, anthropological, cultural, and ethnographical approaches to the agrarian and social issues of Livonia during this time. Culture, history, and language are central to the nationalization of identity and are key components in the theoretical considerations investigated. The literary discourse had implications that were significant in shaping and reshaping historical and cultural identity in the national awakenings of the Latvians at various stages in their history since the late eighteenth century. The way social, political, cultural, and ethnic relationships were understood and articulated was transformed by this late eighteenth-century discourse, in effect, "nationalized," as predominantly German theologians and writers sought to elevate and see dignity and authentic cultural value in the language and national character of the Latvians. This is an important and comprehensive volume for those in history and European studies.

Download or read book Discourse Identity and the Question of Turkish Accession to the EU written by Catherine MacMillan and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-05-23 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discourse, Identity and the Question of Turkish Accession to the EU: Through the Looking Glass provides an invaluable analysis of the issues of Turkish accession to the EU. The focus on elite discourse provides a new and engaging approach to this contentious topic and offers a unique understanding of the competing arguments within the EU regarding the question of Turkey’s accession and the differing visions for the European Union that underlie them. Utilising the Habermasian Theory of Communicative Action Catherine MacMillan focuses on how political elites from the member states and EU institutions engage with the issue, analyses the different attitudes to the Turkish candidacy to the EU and explores the wider implications and competing visions of the EU the differences highlight. By closely examining the different ways that EU elites view and react to this issue vital lessons about the potential wider enlargement of the union to central and eastern Europe can be drawn.

Download or read book The Case for Latvia written by Jukka Rislakki and published by Rodopi. This book was released on 2008 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What do we know about Latvia and the Latvians? A Baltic (not Balkan) nation that emerged from fifty years under the Soviet Union - interrupted by a brief but brutal Nazi-German occupation and a devastating war - now a member of the European Union and NATO. Yes, but what else? Relentless accusations keep appearing, especially in Russian media, often repeated in the West: "Latvian soldiers single-handedly saved Lenin's revolution in 1917", "Latvians killed Tsar Nikolai II and the Royal family", "Latvia was a thoroughly anti-Semitic country and Latvians started killing Jews even before the Germans arrived in 1941", "Nazi revival is rampant in today's Latvia", "The Russian minority is persecuted in Latvia. . ." True, false or in-between? The Finnish journalist and author Jukka Rislakki examines charges like these and provides an outline of Latvia's recent history while attempting to separate documented historical fact from misinformation and deliberate disinformation. His analysis helps to explain why the Baltic States (population 7 million) consistently top the enemy lists in public opinion polls of Russia (143 million). His knowledge of the Baltic languages allows him to make use of local sources and up-to-date historical research. He is a former Baltic States correspondent for Finland's largest daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and the author of several books on Finnish and Latvian history. As a neutral, experienced and often critical observer, Rislakki is uniquely qualified for the task of separating truth from fiction.