Spyros A. Sofos – författare

The resilience of nationalism in contemporary Europe may seem paradoxical at a time when the nation state is widely seen as being 'in decline'. The contributors of this book see the resurgence of nationalism as symptomatic of the quest for identity and meaning in the complex modern world. Challenged from above by the supranational imperatives of globalism and from below by the complex pluralism of modern societies, the nation state, in the absence of alternatives to market consumerism, remains a focus for social identity.Nation and Identity in Contemporary Europe takes a fully interdisciplinary and comparative approach to the 'national question'. Individual chapters consider the specifics of national identity in France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Iberia, Russia, the former Yugoslavla and Poland, while looking also at external forces such as economic globalisation, European supranationalism, and the end of the Cold War.Setting current issues and conflicts in their broad historical context, the book reaffirms that 'nations' are not 'natural' phenomena but 'constructed' forms of social identity whose future will be determined in the social arena.

The resilience of nationalism in contemporary Europe may seem paradoxical at a time when the nation state is widely seen as being 'in decline'. The contributors of this book see the resurgence of nationalism as symptomatic of the quest for identity and meaning in the complex modern world. Challenged from above by the supranational imperatives of globalism and from below by the complex pluralism of modern societies, the nation state, in the absence of alternatives to market consumerism, remains a focus for social identity.Nation and Identity in Contemporary Europe takes a fully interdisciplinary and comparative approach to the 'national question'. Individual chapters consider the specifics of national identity in France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Iberia, Russia, the former Yugoslavla and Poland, while looking also at external forces such as economic globalisation, European supranationalism, and the end of the Cold War.Setting current issues and conflicts in their broad historical context, the book reaffirms that 'nations' are not 'natural' phenomena but 'constructed' forms of social identity whose future will be determined in the social arena.

This book explores Turkey’s transformation into an active and influential emerging power under the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. It argues that populist governance and foreign policy are not separate domains but expressions of a common political logic. Erdoğan’s populism does not simply shape Turkey’s international engagement; it extends into it, producing a distinct form of populist revisionism that reworks regional orders in line with domestically forged antagonisms.Situating Turkey’s transformation within broader global trends, notably the erosion of liberal democratic institutions domestically and the unravelling of the rules-based international order, frames the core inquiry of this study. This analysis provides a sophisticated framework for understanding Turkey’s foreign policy within the broader contestation of liberal norms, multilateral institutions, and the very concept of democracy itself, raising crucial questions about the resilience of liberal democracy and the adaptability of the international system in an age of populist ascendancy.It will appeal to scholars, policymakers, international relations professionals, students, and general readers interested in populism, Turkish politics, and international relations.

This book enhances our understanding of 'the popular' in the study of politics through a critical examination of the uses and constructions of 'the people', from the establishment of the Turkish Republic to the present. It proposes ways of reading the insertion and operationalisation of the notion of 'the people' as a concept, a political subject, the object of policy and politics over the past century. The author assesses the ways 'the people' have been shaped by the history of the republic and how in turn they have informed ways of visualising society, the country's political culture and institutional architecture, and framed the parameters and repertoires of political action.