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.

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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
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 18 Oct 2017 06:39
Last Modified: 10 Jul 2023 08:45
DOI: 10.1177/1468796812465722
Open Access URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10034/552074
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3010327