Postimperial Melancholia and Brexit

2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-21
Author(s):  
Marc Matera
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
National Identity ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Affective States ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Affective Dynamics ◽  
Major Factors ◽  
Psychic Reactions ◽  
Contemporary Britain ◽  
Psychological Concepts

The lead-up to and the aftermath of the 2016 referendum on the United Kingdom’s membership in the European Union have been characterized by particular psychic reactions and affective states: shock, perplexity, anxiety, guilt, paranoia, anger, depression, delusion, and manic elation. The debate over Brexit has played out largely in an affective register. Scholars and journalists in search of explanations have reached for psychological concepts such as amnesia and have cited feelings, specifically nostalgia and anger, as major factors. Paul Gilroy’s Postcolonial Melancholia provides a more useful analytical framework for constructing histories of Brexit beyond the usual narratives of reversal, unexpected rupture, or liberation, and for unearthing the psychic attachments and affective dynamics underlying such narratives. Gilroy’s conception of postimperial melancholia allows us to see the links between Brexit, anti-immigrant racism, and the obsession with national identity, and the unacknowledged and ongoing legacies of empire and decolonization in contemporary Britain.

Finding a Home on Stage: A Place for Romania in Europe?

2003 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-210
Author(s):  
IOANA SZEMAN
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
National Identity ◽  
Young People ◽  
Ethnic Group ◽  
Press Coverage ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Theatrical Production ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
Historical Relationship ◽  
Youth Theatre

Home, a pioneering theatrical production in post-communist Romania, cast homeless/orphaned youth in the Youth Theatre in Bucharest. The ‘orphan problem’ has been one of the most covered topics on Romania in western media, and one of the signs of Romania's ‘backwardness’, while neglect and indifference have characterized local press coverage. The significance of the production in changing the Romanian public's perception of these young people, many of whom are from the Roma ethnic group, is analysed, as are much wider political implications. Emma Nicholson, the European Parliament rapporteur for Romania, saw Home and afterwards expressed her support for Romania's acceptance into the European Union. The production and its reception permit a tracing of the historical relationship between the performance of Romanian marginality and national identity in relation to Europe.

RESILIENCE TECHNIQUES OF INTERNATIONAL COURTS IN TIMES OF RESISTANCE TO INTERNATIONAL LAW

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-32
Author(s):  
Salvatore Caserta ◽  
Pola Cebulak
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
International Law ◽  
Land Rights ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
The European Union ◽  
International Courts ◽  
Court Of Justice ◽  
Indigenous Groups ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Caribbean Court Of Justice

Abstract International courts are increasingly called upon to adjudicate socially divisive disputes. They are therefore exposed to a heightened risk of backlash that questions their authority and impedes the implementation of their judgments. This article puts forward an analytical framework for mapping the resilience techniques used by international courts to counter this growing resistance. Case studies involve the Court of Justice of the European Union, which has been cautious in its stance regarding democratic backsliding in Hungary and Poland, and the Caribbean Court of Justice, which has engaged in legal diplomacy while adjudicating both on the land rights of indigenous groups and on Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) rights. It is argued that, in order to effectively avoid and mitigate backlash, international courts should deploy resilience techniques that go beyond merely exercising their judicial function. The successful deployment of resilience techniques can allow international courts to become significant actors in global governance during a time of crisis for the international liberal order.

Greek National Identity and the Greek Education System in the Age of Austerity

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Maria Chalari ◽  
Thomas Georgas
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
National Identity ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Education System ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Social Attitudes ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Humanitarian Crisis ◽  
Current Climate

This paper critically reviews discourses of Greek national identity and the role of the Greek education system first in a historical perspective and then in the current climate of economic crisis in Greece. It also discusses the reason why teachers and schools are key to tackling growing discriminatory social attitudes. The preceding nationalistic discourse and the historical forms of nationhood and education in Greece might help us unravel the difficulties Greek national identity faces in the current era of economic and humanitarian crisis and uncertainty with regard to the European Union project, its evolution, its struggles, the nature of its challenges and tensions, and the empowerment of its ethnocentric and racist sentiment.

scholarly journals Immigration in the Spanish nation

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 38-52
Author(s):  
Ana Caballero Mengibar
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
National Identity ◽  
The European Union ◽  
New Challenges

The literature suggests that Spain has never had a national identity but is rather an amalgam of regional identities. The accession to the European Union and the arrival of immigrants present new challenges to Spanish identity. Forging a national identity entails both building a solidarity based on ‘belongingness’ and excluding certain groups that might constitute a threat. These contemporary forms of exclusion aligned with immigration can be referred to as neo-racist.

scholarly journals Do European elections enhance satisfaction with European Union democracy?

2020 ◽  
pp. 146511652097028
Author(s):  
Carolina Plescia ◽  
Jean-François Daoust ◽  
André Blais
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
National Identity ◽  
European Parliament ◽  
The European Union ◽  
European Elections ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Satisfaction With Democracy ◽  
Union Democracy ◽  
Important Message ◽  
European Parliament Elections

We provide the first individual-level test of whether holding supranational elections in the European Union fosters satisfaction with European Union democracy. First, we examine whether participation at the European Parliament election fosters satisfaction with democracy and whether, among those who participated, a winner–loser gap materializes at the EU level. Second, we examine under which conditions participating and winning in the election affect satisfaction with European Union democracy, focusing on the moderating role of exclusive national identity. Our approach relies on panel data collected during the 2019 European Parliament elections in eight countries. We demonstrate that while participating and winning increase satisfaction, such positive boost does not materialize among those with exclusive national identity. These findings hold an important message: elections are no cure to deep-seated alienation.

scholarly journals Shooting for Lithuania: Migration, National Identity and Men’s Basketball in the East of England

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam B. Evans ◽  
David Piggott
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
National Identity ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Men's Basketball ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Significant Attention

The accession of the ‘A8 states’ into the European Union initiated considerable migration into Western Europe. The impact upon local communities has seen significant attention, yet little research exists that focuses upon migrant experiences and identity specifically in sport. This study used a figurational framework to investigate the lived experiences of basketball among male Lithuanian migrants in the rural east of England. Semistructured interviews highlighted participants’ motivations to migrate, their acculturation experiences and the role that basketball played during their sojourn. Participants considered basketball a significant means for the expression of national identity and as a focus for their resistance to local racializing processes. Conversely, conflict with established local basketball communities and perceptions of marginalization among migrants were common, creating divisions in local basketball competitions.

scholarly journals National and Constitutional Identity in the Case Law of the Court of Justice of the European Union

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 6-27
Author(s):  
Ondrej Hamuľák ◽  
David Kopal ◽  
Tanel Kerikmäe
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
National Identity ◽  
Main Part ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Eu Law ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Court Of Justice ◽  
Introductory Part ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Constitutional Identity

The aim of this paper is to determine the position of the CJEU towards the national identity with regard to its case law and whether the Court gives preference to the national identity or to the primacy of EU law during the balancing between the constitutional principles and the interests of member states with EU law. The introductory part of the paper addresses the insertion and the development of the national identity clause in the primary law. Its main part consists of analysis of the case law of the CJEU, as well as of the opinions of Advocates General, in the period before and after the adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon.

scholarly journals Economic relations between Bulgaria and Serbia: Current state and opportunities

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 141-156
Author(s):  
Antoaneta Vassileva ◽  
Mirjana Stevanović ◽  
Milica Simić
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Statistical Data ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Economic Cooperation ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Economic Relations ◽  
Current State ◽  
European Projects ◽  
Economic Ties ◽  
Desk Research

The main goal of this paper is to make a survey of the current state of the economic relations between Bulgaria and Serbia and to outline some recommendations for their future development. The analytical framework is based on a desk research of the economic cooperation between both countries and a study of several European projects in which they participate. Statistical data and information from official documents of the governments of Bulgaria and Serbia, as well as documents of the European Union have been used. The author does not aim to make just a comparative analysis but rather to look for the points of intersection of the mutual interests of both countries. The findings of the research enable the evaluation of the depth of economic cooperation between Bulgaria and Serbia and give grounds for conclusions about the prospects for expanding of their economic ties.

scholarly journals Brexit and Polexit: Collective narcissism is associated with support for leaving the European Union

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Cisłak ◽  
Marta Pyrczak ◽  
Artur Mikiewicz ◽  
Aleksandra Cichocka
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
National Identity ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Group Identification ◽  
Political Orientation ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Eu Membership ◽  
National Identification ◽  
Youth Study

In three studies we examine the link between types of national identity and support for leaving the European Union (EU). We found that national collective narcissism (but not national identification without the narcissistic component) was positively associated with a willingness to vote Leave, over and above the effect of political orientation. This pattern was observed in a representative Polish sample (Study 1, n = 635), as well as in samples of Polish youth (Study 2, n = 219), and both Polish (n = 73) and British (n = 60) professionals employed in the field of international relations (Study 3). In Studies 2 and 3 this effect was mediated by biased EU membership perceptions. The role of defensive versus secure forms of in-group identification in shaping support for EU membership is discussed.

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