Citizens of Europe?: The Emergence of a Mass European Identity

by Michael Bruter

This book shows empirically for the first time how a mass European identity has emerged across the EU member states between 1970 and the present day. Beyond this novel approach, it also offers a whole new theory of political identities, based on two 'civic' and 'cultural' components. Michael Bruter shows how multiple identities reinforce - rather than exclude - each other, and studies in depth the unsuspected impact of the media and political institutions on the emergence of new political identities.

237 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jaycob Izso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a curious little book, and a surprising gem of a text for those interested in a cross-section of contemporary European identity. Bruter is a fairly dry writer unfortunately, but the work is thoughtful in all the places that matter. What is, perhaps, most impressive about this book is the hybridization of identity theory with empirical research - Bruter balances both quite nicely while providing some excellent insight into so-called "top-down" and "bottom-up" approaches to civic identity.