Constructing a European "demos" : a struggling identity with fuzzy boundaries

Abstract

The essay approaches the problem of European democracy and European identity formation from the perspective of phenomenological network theory. First, the formation of a European identity or ‘sense of political community’ is depicted as a prerequisite for democracy on the European level. The European case, however, differs to the historical construction of political communities as ‘nations’ in the early 19th century in many regards. A second section discusses the role of symbolic boundaries in constructing a political identity on the European level. It is argued that only the drawing of a sharp symbolic boundary can make for the ‘involution’ of the European political network – a turning inward of political relations around a common identity (based on the drawing of a symbolic boundary). The last section focuses on the implications of this theoretical perspective for the current debate about the boundaries of Europe: Is Europe bounded by the cultural tradition of (Western) Christianity? Or is it possible to take a more inclusive stand based on the Enlightenment values of democracy, secularism, and tolerance? The Turkish application for membership in the European Union leads to undesirable consequences of both inclusive and exclusive strategies.