What is Europe?
What is Europe and who are Europeans?
If we are to accomplish European unity, it is not enough that we have institutions that link us, important though they are, we must also have some sense of who we are.
Part of establishing identity is an intuitive understanding of the space that identity occupies. Some countries are more pro-active in this regard than others, but when schools display a map of the country in every classroom, that is often the underlying purpose - creating a link between individuals and an otherwise arbitrary set of lines on a stretch of this Earth.
But what is Europe? What is the space that we connect to? The debate on Turkey's membership of the EU shows that for some the definition of where Europe ends or begins is contested. Yet over the years it seems that this process (and ultimately the failure of Turkey's accession) has generated a consensus over what Europe is.
Europe is bound to the North by the Arctic. It is limited to the West by the Atlantic. It is bordered to the South by the Mediterranean and to the East by the countries of Belarus and Russia.
Naturally it is provocative to make this kind of declaration and it is unlikely to be the last word on the matter, yet this kind of certainty is what is needed if we are to even attempt to unite Europe.
So is this Europe? Almost, but to limit the definition to geography would be to sacrifice our understanding.
Europe is not just a geographical space, but also a cultural and historical space. From the philosophical and technological innovations of ancient Greece and Rome, through to the formation of the early states, the wars of religion, the Enlightenment, the Age of Revolution, the formation of modern ideologies, and the two World Wars, Europe and its people have been defined by shared history, experiences and values.
Note that Europe is not, however, an ethnic space. This is not a trivial point either as it marks one of the great differences between the quest for a Europe that is united, democratic and free, and far-right quests for a fascist empire. While Europe is majority White, the two ideas are not interchangeable, even if this use is sometimes seen in countries marked by colonialism. Rather, there is a long history of diversity in Europe. Flows of people from surrounding states into Europe are not new, but ancient. This is particularly true of movement between Africa and Europe (after all, how do you think we got here in the first place?).
It should not be assumed that non-White groups were always treated well during this history, they were often severely oppressed, but equally their presence cannot be denied or erased. The EU's motto "In Varietate Concordia" (United in Diversity) is not a new fad, but an expression of the ancient diversity that has built Europe. It is the monolithic nation-states, constructed in the 19th Century, that are the true exception to Europe's nature.
So now that we can visualise and understand Europe, can we say "job done" and go home? It would be easy to say that Europeans are simply those people who inhabit this space. Yet this seems unsatisfying. We may be able to categorise on this basis, but it does not allow us to further our connections to one another because it provides only a limited foundation upon which to determine what binds us already.
Beyond living in Europe, Europeans are now defined by a set of common values: democracy, freedom and the social market. We want to be free to express our diversity, our different preferences and values. We want democratic societies that allow us to govern ourselves. We want a market economy coupled with regulations that protect the citizens of Europe.
As Europeans, therefore, we continually strive for a balance between liberty, equality and justice. This balance sets us apart from authoritarian regimes to our East and the ultra-capitalist American model to our West.
Europe then is distinct from the much broader and general idea of "the West". While there is certainly a loose alliance of alignment of the various advanced liberal capitalist democracies of the world, their supposed connections to one another are often so general as to be applicable to many countries considered to be outside of this grouping. Certainly the territorial connection that could genuinely bind the populations of these different countries together on at least a geographical level (something of a minimum threshold) is entirely lacking.
Europe is a grouping of peoples within the territory displayed above. It has been influenced through the years by a long history of violence that has left a mark on the collective psyche of Europe. But there is also a positive legacy of religious diversity, scientific endeavour, openness, liberty and democracy. Europeans believe in the importance of freedom, tempered with the protections against hatred, the market economy regulated by sensible democratic governance.
These are the things we cherish and when we are divided then they are threatened by competing systems from both the East and the West. Only through unity can we defend our values and promote them in the wider world.
If we are to accomplish European unity, it is not enough that we have institutions that link us, important though they are, we must also have some sense of who we are.
Part of establishing identity is an intuitive understanding of the space that identity occupies. Some countries are more pro-active in this regard than others, but when schools display a map of the country in every classroom, that is often the underlying purpose - creating a link between individuals and an otherwise arbitrary set of lines on a stretch of this Earth.
But what is Europe? What is the space that we connect to? The debate on Turkey's membership of the EU shows that for some the definition of where Europe ends or begins is contested. Yet over the years it seems that this process (and ultimately the failure of Turkey's accession) has generated a consensus over what Europe is.
Europe is bound to the North by the Arctic. It is limited to the West by the Atlantic. It is bordered to the South by the Mediterranean and to the East by the countries of Belarus and Russia.
Naturally it is provocative to make this kind of declaration and it is unlikely to be the last word on the matter, yet this kind of certainty is what is needed if we are to even attempt to unite Europe.
So is this Europe? Almost, but to limit the definition to geography would be to sacrifice our understanding.
Europe is not just a geographical space, but also a cultural and historical space. From the philosophical and technological innovations of ancient Greece and Rome, through to the formation of the early states, the wars of religion, the Enlightenment, the Age of Revolution, the formation of modern ideologies, and the two World Wars, Europe and its people have been defined by shared history, experiences and values.
Note that Europe is not, however, an ethnic space. This is not a trivial point either as it marks one of the great differences between the quest for a Europe that is united, democratic and free, and far-right quests for a fascist empire. While Europe is majority White, the two ideas are not interchangeable, even if this use is sometimes seen in countries marked by colonialism. Rather, there is a long history of diversity in Europe. Flows of people from surrounding states into Europe are not new, but ancient. This is particularly true of movement between Africa and Europe (after all, how do you think we got here in the first place?).
It should not be assumed that non-White groups were always treated well during this history, they were often severely oppressed, but equally their presence cannot be denied or erased. The EU's motto "In Varietate Concordia" (United in Diversity) is not a new fad, but an expression of the ancient diversity that has built Europe. It is the monolithic nation-states, constructed in the 19th Century, that are the true exception to Europe's nature.
So now that we can visualise and understand Europe, can we say "job done" and go home? It would be easy to say that Europeans are simply those people who inhabit this space. Yet this seems unsatisfying. We may be able to categorise on this basis, but it does not allow us to further our connections to one another because it provides only a limited foundation upon which to determine what binds us already.
Beyond living in Europe, Europeans are now defined by a set of common values: democracy, freedom and the social market. We want to be free to express our diversity, our different preferences and values. We want democratic societies that allow us to govern ourselves. We want a market economy coupled with regulations that protect the citizens of Europe.
As Europeans, therefore, we continually strive for a balance between liberty, equality and justice. This balance sets us apart from authoritarian regimes to our East and the ultra-capitalist American model to our West.
Europe then is distinct from the much broader and general idea of "the West". While there is certainly a loose alliance of alignment of the various advanced liberal capitalist democracies of the world, their supposed connections to one another are often so general as to be applicable to many countries considered to be outside of this grouping. Certainly the territorial connection that could genuinely bind the populations of these different countries together on at least a geographical level (something of a minimum threshold) is entirely lacking.
Europe is a grouping of peoples within the territory displayed above. It has been influenced through the years by a long history of violence that has left a mark on the collective psyche of Europe. But there is also a positive legacy of religious diversity, scientific endeavour, openness, liberty and democracy. Europeans believe in the importance of freedom, tempered with the protections against hatred, the market economy regulated by sensible democratic governance.
These are the things we cherish and when we are divided then they are threatened by competing systems from both the East and the West. Only through unity can we defend our values and promote them in the wider world.
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