European Identities in Discourse

Franco Zappettini is Lecturer in Communication and Media Studies at the University of Liverpool, UK.

A well-structured study of grassroot perspectives on Europeanness ... An important contribution to how we perceive post-nationalist European identities and our knowledge of how they may come about at what seems as a critical moment for European integration.

• List of Illustrations AcknowledgementsAbbreviations1. Introduction 1.1 The case for investigating the emergence of ‘new’ European identities 1.2 Book Aims and Objectives1.3 Structure of the book 1.4 Socio-political contextualisation: The European civil society 1.5 Background on the organization2. Exploring Identities in Discourse: Conceptual Tools2.1 A ‘late modern’ approach to identities 2.2 Investigating identities through language 2.3 Critical approaches: discourse and identity in CDA 2.3.1 The discursive construction of national identities 2.4 European identity: ‘national’ discourses in transformation? 2.4.1 European identity as a political project 2.4.2 European Identity as a global process and transnationalism as a new variable3. Unpacking Transnationalism3.1.1.1 Identification processes in transnational settings: new meanings of community 3.1.1.2 Language 3.1.1.3 Citizenship 3.1.1.4 Solidarity 3.1.2 The role of networks in transnational and cosmopolitan imaginaries 3.1.3 Transnational and cosmopolitan views of the world 3.2 The transnationalisation of the European field 3.2.1.1 The European Public Sphere (EPS) 3.2.2 Transnationalism in Europe from CDS perspectives4. Operationalizing the Methodological Approach4.1 Discussion of methods used in this study 4.1.1 Preparation work 4.1.2 The role of moderators4.2 DATA COLLECTION 4.2.1 Data collected via focus groups 4.2.1.1 London focus group (pilot test) 4.2.1.2 Bologna (Italy) focus group 4.2.1.3 Cluj-Napoca (Romania) focus group 4.2.1.4 Cardiff (UK) focus group 4.2.2 Data collected via individual interviews 4.2.3 Data entextualisation4.3 ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK 4.3.1 Thematic analysis 4.3.2 ‘In-depth’ analysis 4.3.2.1 Micro linguistic analysis 4.4 Reflections on the analytical framework5. Results5.1 Introduction 5.2 THEMATIC ANALYSIS 5.2.1 Preliminary overview of topics and interdiscursive dimensions of European identities 5.2.1.1 First dimension of production of Europeanness 5.2.1.2 Second dimension of production of Europeanness 5.2.1.3 Attribution of Europeanness: usage of the term European 5.3 IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS 5.3.1 Strategies, topoi, and linguistic realisations 5.3.1.1 On the distribution of strategies and topoi 5.3.2 Macro strategies of defining European identity 5.3.2.1 Strategies of negotiating the meaning of (European) identities 5.3.3 Strategies of constructing European identity 5.3.3.1 Topoi of interactional experience and relationality 5.3.3.2 Topos of (inter)connectedness 5.3.3.3 Topos of membership 5.3.3.4 Strategies of negotiation between European and other identities 5.3.4 Macro strategies of dismantling nationhood 5.3.4.1 Topos of nationalism 5.3.4.2 Topoi of flow and container 5.3.4.3 Topos of inadequacy and global risk 5.3.5 The construction and transformation of communities, spaces, and social orders 5.3.5.1 Topos of network 5.3.5.2 Topos of imagination 5.3.5.3 Topos of (transnational) ‘active’ citizenship 5.3.5.4 Topoi of transnational democratic dialogue and equal participation 5.3.5.5 Topos of values 5.3.5.6 Topos of solidarity 5.3.5.7 Topos of diversity 5.3.5.8 Topoi of language(s) and multilingualism6. Discussing and Summarising the Findings6.1.1 Strategies and topoi 6.1.2 Linguistic Realisations 6.1.3 Metaphorical scenario of spatial dynamics 6.1.4 The indexicality of Europe and nationhood 6.1.5 A transnational conceptualisation of Europeanness7. Conclusions7.1 Summary of this study 7.2 Contribution of this study 7.3 Limitations of this study 7.4 Where to now?NotesBibliographyAppendix1.1 Transcription conventions used in this studyIndex