Europe – a default or a dream? European identity formation among Bulgarian and English children

Slavtcheva-Petkova, Vera ORCID: 0000-0002-5576-4353 and Mihelj, Sabina (2013) Europe – a default or a dream? European identity formation among Bulgarian and English children. Ethnicities, 13 (5). pp. 565-583.

Access the full-text of this item by clicking on the Open Access link.

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1468796812465722

Abstract

<jats:p> This article examines the formation of European identity among children in two very different countries: the traditionally Eurosceptic United Kingdom and the enthusiastic EU newcomer, Bulgaria. The paper revisits existing debates about the relationships between European identity, knowledge and the political and historical context, paying particular attention to the meanings attached to Europe. It demonstrates that children who identify as European are more likely to see Europe in geographic terms, which facilitates the perception of the European identity as ‘default’. In contrast, children who refuse to describe themselves as European see Europe as an exclusive political entity, associated with high standards and distant elites. These perceptions are significantly more common among Bulgarian children, who often depict Europe as a dream, and perceive the European identity as an ideal they aspire to reach. The article also shows how ethnicity and the images of Europe influence the relationship between national and European identities. </jats:p>

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	47 Language, Communication and Culture, 4408 Political Science, 44 Human Society
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	18 Oct 2017 06:39
Last Modified:	29 Sep 2024 04:42
DOI:	10.1177/1468796812465722
Open Access URL:	http://hdl.handle.net/10034/552074
Related URLs:	Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3010327