Conceiving of Europe

The main subject of the book is a discussion of different forms of public discourse in Europe. After Maastricht, the idea of European integration is being discussed vigorously again. The concepts of Europe and their political and cultural implications are being remolded in an intra-European public debate, linking and merging national discourses in a joint effort at establishing a supra-national discourse community. One significant feature in this debate is the question of how European...
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The main subject of the book is a discussion of different forms of public discourse in Europe. After Maastricht, the idea of European integration is being discussed vigorously again. The concepts of Europe and their political and cultural implications are being remolded in an intra-European public debate, linking and merging national discourses in a joint effort at establishing a supra-national discourse community. One significant feature in this debate is the question of how European ideas take on very divergent shapes depending upon where they originate, where and how they are communicated and how they are understood and interpreted.All chapters are related to the discourse about Europe/European Union. They discuss various interpretations of keywords of the European debate; they compare cross-nationally the usage of certain metaphors as well as the role of national stereotypes. They look at aspects of political communication in various EU member states; they discuss the debate in the mass media about EU enlargement; and they look at political and linguistic implications of the changes in Eastern Europe.