Changing National Identity in New European Member States

Reykjavík.
The next ECPR 2011 speaker is Magdalena Gora, whose interest is in conceptualising the transformation of collective identities in the new European member and candidate states. There are three broad possibilities here: national identities could remain as they are; could become embedded into a stronger European identity; or could take on a more cosmopolitan flavour.

There are two possible levels of identity conflict today: at a level of the content, and at a level of the form and function of political identity. There is a significant difference in debates in the new member states, which are lagging behind in how the European project is framed; discussion is taking place at a national identity level (how it could be reworked to fit the European project), and this may be due to the fact that concepts of national sovereignty remain strong in national discourse (as compared with older EU countries, which have become more comfortable with sharing sovereignty at the European level).

This may be an indicator of a continuing transition process, of course, given the recent history of these countries and their connections with the European Union. Interestingly, internal factors play an important role here, and there is great variety across different countries; national identity is gradually losing its power, and is being replaced with other identity alternatives. New discourses of identity are challenging national narratives in a number of cases (e.g. for Polish urban youth) – and specific local levels (below the national) are becoming more important.