Book Reviews Wintle, Michael (ed.). Culture and Identity in Europe. Aldershot, Brookfield: Avebury/Ashgate Publishing Company, 1996. Pp. ix, 223. Index. $67.95. This collection of strongly written essays ties together themes of cultural diversity and unity in Europe, in particular the way cultural identity is constructed and the manner in which it is promoted by the European Union. Wintle, while understanding that notions of nationalism and identity are constructs, believes that that there is `something there' and seeks an accommodation of identity. On European cultural identity he says: `it consists mainly of partly shared historical heritage and experience, in the widest possible sense'. Of more interest is his discussion of the portrayal of Europe in images. His investigation of the use of cartography and visual icons using images of Europa and Europe enables him to unravel the self-images wrapped up in these symbols. It is here that Wintle offers a rich and clear insight into European self-perception, far more convincing and satisfying to the reader than vague notions of the essence of a European identity. A United Europe has not resulted from a collective identity. Philip Morgan sceptically examines the relationship between identity and politics. He critiques past attempts to unite Europe and concludes that self-interest provided the drive behind such movements rather than any `natural' feeling of unity. He asserts that it was post Second World War reconstruction and the cold war that eventually created the impetus for the federation. In the end, union was the result of economic forces rather than feelings of cultural unity. M. Spiering's well-written chapter on national identity and European unity argues that the visionary idealism of certain individuals who have been involved in the European movement counters a blanket assertion that European Union is the result of pure statist self-interest. From a humorous exploration of some common European national stereotypes an important point emerges: identity is as much about otherness as it is about the self. Spiering explores why the nation-state, with all its arbitrariness, has such appeal and notes the psychological need to belong. The author explains why the European Union challenges this notion of nationalism rather than (to date) successfully harnessing it. The chapter concludes with the sobering observation that most nationalist identities are formed as the result of violent conflict. Without coercion, a common European identity is not likely to be achieved. Brom Boxhoorn, in his piece on the process of unification and identity, asserts that the European Union can only create a sense of shared community if membership is limited. Since such restricted access is impossible and counter-productive he concludes that `it is difficult to understand how unification and diversity can be reconciled'. Benedict Anderson has claimed that the media is an important power in creating an image of community. Vian Bakir argues that in the development of a European identity, the media will not be a useful tool as European media agencies are too nationalistic to be a uniting force. If identity is not the unifying force, it could perhaps be economics. This book offers some cautionary views. Even with an economic goal, consensus has been difficult to build and the effects less than desirable. David Willis notes that the economic agendas of Western European countries have had detrimental effects on the economies of Eastern European countries. Xiudian Dai's investigation of the failure of the European telecommunications policy provides an excellent case study of how economic policies based on self-interest can be self-destructive. The essays, though eclectic, pull together to show both the complexity and the emptiness of the phrase `unity in diversity'. Larissa Behrendt Harvard Law School
	© 1990-2004 European Journal of International Law All comments and suggestions should be sent to webmaster This site is part of the Academy of European Law online, a joint partnership of the Jean Monnet Center at NYU School of Law and the Academy of European Law at the European University Institute. This file was last modified: Tuesday, October 14, 2003 12:37PM