Cerutti - Debating Political Identity and Legitimacy in the European Union

How can we conceptualize identity and legitimacy in the context of the Euro- pean Union? What is the role of narratives, political symbols, public debate and institutional practices in the process of identity formation and legitimacy consolidation?

Debating Political Identity and Legitimacy in the European Union addresses these questions and brings together high profile scholars from various discipli- nary backgrounds to debate the ontological and epistemological aspects of research on identity and legitimacy formation in the EU. Part I investigates key elements such as the relationship between Europeanization of the EU member states and its effect on the political identity of their citizens; the relationship between the politicization of the EU and processes of identity and legitimacy formation; and the indispensability of European identity for legitimizing the EU. Part II looks at pathways to identity formation and legitimacy construction in the EU by considering alternative types of constitutional legitimacy; political sym- bolism; Europeanization and politicization of the debate on EU focusing on the foreign policy domain.

Bringing together a wide but coherent range of high profile perspectives, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of European studies, Political Science, Philosophy, Sociology and Law.

Sonia Lucarelli is Professor of International Relations at the University of Bologna. Furio Cerutti is Professor of Political Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy, University of Florence. Vivien A. Schmidt is Jean Monnet Chair of European Integration and Professor of International Relations at Boston University.

First published 2011
by Routledge
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Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
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2011 Sonia Lucarelli, Furio Cerutti and Vivien A. Schmidt for selection and editorial matter; individual contributors, their contribution.

The right of Sonia Lucarelli, Furio Cerutti and Vivien A. Schmidt to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him/her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Debating political identity and legitimacy in the European Union/edited by Sonia Lucarelli, Furio Cerutti, and Vivien A. Schmidt.
p. cm. (Routledge/GARNET series: Europe in the world; 11)
Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. European Union. 2. European federation. 3. Legitimacy of governmentsEuropean Union countries. 4. Constitutional history European Union countries. 5. European Union countriesPolitics and government. I. Lucarelli, Sonia. II. Cerutti, Furio. III. Schmidt, Vivien Ann, 1949
JN30.D416 2011
341.2422dc222010026133

ISBN 978-0-415-55100-7 (hbk)
ISBN 978-0-203-83464-0 (ebk)