The four editors were project leaders for 3 international collaborative projects constituting the EuroCORECODE programme of the European Science Foundation, 2011–2014. Dick E.H. De Boer was the architect of the EuroCORECODE programme and projectleader of Cuius regio comparing the historical development of nine regions of different size, geo-physical condition, socio-cultural composition, and political fate in medieval and early modern Europe.Nils Holger Petersen was the leader of CultSymbols focusing on the role of the devotion and veneration of saints as a vehicle to study collective identities, including also their receptions into the modern arts as expressions of group identities.Bas Spierings and Martin Van der Velde were the leaders of Unfamiliarity, studying changing European crossborder experiences, including how such experiences influence contemporary cross-border behaviour.

• Contents - List of Contributors - The Historical Evolution of Regionalizing Identities in Europe. Introduction (Dick E.H. de Boer, Nils Holger Petersen, Bas Spierings and Martin van der Velde) - Rescaling the European State (Michael Keating) - Part One Regions Compared - Part Two Construction, Identity and Cohesion of Regions - Part Three Conclusive Observations - Part Four Appendix