Europe Day 2017 – a lecture by Prof. Ireneusz Paweł Karolewski

ACADEMIA EUROPAEA KNOWLEDGE HUB WROCŁAW IN COOPERATION WITH THE WILLY BRANDT CENTRE FOR GERMAN AND EUROPEAN STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WROCŁAW ORGANISED A LECTURE BY PROF. IRENEUSZ PAWEŁ KAROLEWSKI, PHD ENTITLED:

European Identity: an Antidote to the Crisis of the European Union?

DATE

May 9, 2017, 12:00 noon

VENUE

University of Wrocław
Audytorium Instytutu Historycznego UWr
Szewska 49, 48-300 Wrocław

Outline of the lecture

The EU is facing a multitude of challenges, including the rise of Eurosceptic populism, as well as a number of crises and centrifugal tendencies. Scholars have argued for some time that a strong collective identity might be a solution for communities in deep crisis. The lecture took that as its point of departure and reflected on the possibilities and limitations of the European identity. Firstly, the lecture addressed the main issues of current research into European identity by focusing on the very concept of collective identity as well as on identity measurement. Secondly, drawing on research into nationalism, the lecture discussed the main challenges to the “generation” of a supranational identity. Thirdly, it explored specific identity “technologies” applied by the EU, as well as their limitations. The lecture concluded with an assessment of how far – and whether at all – a “nationalism-lite” of the EU can be successful.

Language of the lecture: Polish