1st Edition
Rethinking Europe Social Theory and the Implications of Europeanization
Dominant approaches to the transformation of Europe ignore contemporary social theory interpretations of the nature and dynamics of social change. Here, Delanty and Rumford argue that we need a theory of society in order to understand Europeanization. This book advances the case that Europeanization should be theorized in terms of:
- globalization
- major social transformations that are not exclusively spear-headed by the EU
- the wider context of the transformation of modernity.
This fascinating book broadens the terms of the debate on Europeanization, conventionally limited to the supersession of the nation-state by a supra-national authority and the changes within member states consequent upon EU membership.
Demonstrating the relevance of social theory to contemporary issues and with a focus on European transformation rather than simplistic notions of Europe-building, this truly multidisciplinary volume will appeal to readers from a range of social science disciplines, including sociology, geography, political science and European studies.
1. Theorizing Europeanization: Towards a Constructionist Theory of Society 2. History, Modernity and the Multiple Conceptions of Europe: European Transformation in Historical Perspective 3. Is there a European Identity? European Self-Understanding Beyond Unity and Diversity 4. What Does it Mean to be a ‘European’? The Possibility of Cosmopolitan Loyalties 5. The New Cultural Logic of Europeanization: Citizenship, Memory, and Public Discourse 6. The European Social Model: From Welfare State to Learning Society and Beyond 7. Organizing European Space: Borderlands, ‘Undivided Europe', and Spatiality Beyond Territory 8. The European Union as Non-State: The Spatialization of EU Governance 9. Towards a European Polity? Europe Meets the World 10. Rethinking European Society: The Global Civil Society Context Conclusion: Towards a Cosmopolitan Europe
Biography
Gerard Delanty; Chris Rumford
'Rethinking Europe provides a thought-provoking and important contribution to European studies. In this book, Gerard Delanty and Chris Rumford propose to develop a new vision of Europe. This vision does not focus on defining what is distinctivelyEuropean but explores the cosmopolitan quality of Europe.'
- Milena Büchs, University of Southampton
Rethinking Europe makes a valuable contribution to the question of how political entities such as nation states, the European Union and a ‘global polity’ are related to ‘society building’. - Sociology, Book Reviews
