'There is not one Europe but many' (cf. Wæver 2009: 168)

How 'Europe' is constructed and what 'Europe' means differs significantly. How does discourse analysis help us unveil and make sense of different representations of Europe?

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science
Cover of the book 'There is not one Europe but many' (cf. Wæver 2009: 168) by Jasper Finkeldey, GRIN Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jasper Finkeldey ISBN: 9783656020318
Publisher: GRIN Publishing Publication: October 4, 2011
Imprint: GRIN Publishing Language: English
Author: Jasper Finkeldey
ISBN: 9783656020318
Publisher: GRIN Publishing
Publication: October 4, 2011
Imprint: GRIN Publishing
Language: English

Essay from the year 2011 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: European Union, grade: 1,3, University of Hamburg, language: English, abstract: European nation states are being incorporated in many different formations on the international and supranational level such as the European Union or the World Trade Organization. The ongoing process of integration challenges the 'old' image of the sovereign Westphalian state. Looking at the concept of the European nation state in the light of European Integration today, it is hard to approach changes by means of commonly used approaches. It often seems like 'we analyse the future by the standards of the past' still applying customary concepts to the latest developments in IR (Anderson 2003: IX). Introducing constructivist approaches to European Integration Theory (EIT) allows scholars to 'take a step back' and to look at the categories used to describe Integration themselves - in other words the construction of the categories of European Integration (ibid.). Discourse approaches can be understood as both a methodology and theory. While discourse analysis as a method is used to complement a wide range of theories in EIT already, discourse theory - after his founding father Michel Foucault - is interested in deconstructing the hegemonic discourse in any given society (Mole 2007: 19)1. I will use the term discourse in the following as a 'system that regulates the formation of statements' (Wæver 2009: 164)2. It is thereby important that theorists applying discourse analysis are not interested in the meaning of 'things' for themselves but how these 'things' become meaningful in discourse (ibid.). In the next chapter I start by explicating the historical roots of discourse analysis and give a broader outline of its contents. The categories used to construct 'Europe' are numerous and differ completely as I will show. Wæver therefore subsumes that 'there is not one Europe but many' (Wæver 2009: 168). In this respect I will critically assess two different discursive approaches in this paper3. I will focus on the approach 'Foreign policy Explained from concepts of State, Nation and Europe' advocated by Wæver et al. and give a more detailed account of the example of 'three competing 'Europes'' (Wæver 1990). Hereby I will argue that discursive approaches fill gaps that conventional approaches fail to take account of which I will specify in the passage dealing with 'approaches in European Discourse Theory'.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Essay from the year 2011 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: European Union, grade: 1,3, University of Hamburg, language: English, abstract: European nation states are being incorporated in many different formations on the international and supranational level such as the European Union or the World Trade Organization. The ongoing process of integration challenges the 'old' image of the sovereign Westphalian state. Looking at the concept of the European nation state in the light of European Integration today, it is hard to approach changes by means of commonly used approaches. It often seems like 'we analyse the future by the standards of the past' still applying customary concepts to the latest developments in IR (Anderson 2003: IX). Introducing constructivist approaches to European Integration Theory (EIT) allows scholars to 'take a step back' and to look at the categories used to describe Integration themselves - in other words the construction of the categories of European Integration (ibid.). Discourse approaches can be understood as both a methodology and theory. While discourse analysis as a method is used to complement a wide range of theories in EIT already, discourse theory - after his founding father Michel Foucault - is interested in deconstructing the hegemonic discourse in any given society (Mole 2007: 19)1. I will use the term discourse in the following as a 'system that regulates the formation of statements' (Wæver 2009: 164)2. It is thereby important that theorists applying discourse analysis are not interested in the meaning of 'things' for themselves but how these 'things' become meaningful in discourse (ibid.). In the next chapter I start by explicating the historical roots of discourse analysis and give a broader outline of its contents. The categories used to construct 'Europe' are numerous and differ completely as I will show. Wæver therefore subsumes that 'there is not one Europe but many' (Wæver 2009: 168). In this respect I will critically assess two different discursive approaches in this paper3. I will focus on the approach 'Foreign policy Explained from concepts of State, Nation and Europe' advocated by Wæver et al. and give a more detailed account of the example of 'three competing 'Europes'' (Wæver 1990). Hereby I will argue that discursive approaches fill gaps that conventional approaches fail to take account of which I will specify in the passage dealing with 'approaches in European Discourse Theory'.

More books from GRIN Publishing

Cover of the book The importance of culture by Jasper Finkeldey
Cover of the book Creative Word-Formation Processes by Jasper Finkeldey
Cover of the book Essen als sozialer Parameter in Nikolaj Gogol's 'Revizor' by Jasper Finkeldey
Cover of the book Statement of Cash Flows by Jasper Finkeldey
Cover of the book Peacekeeping and the United Nations in Mozambique by Jasper Finkeldey
Cover of the book Successful Team Dynamics: A Leader's Contributions and Responsibilities by Jasper Finkeldey
Cover of the book Constructing the convincing political speech by Jasper Finkeldey
Cover of the book A critical comparison of Internationalisation theories: Eclectic Paradigm of Dunning vs. Uppsala School by Jasper Finkeldey
Cover of the book New insights on Winogradsky Columns: Simulation of Contaminated Subsurface Systems for Low Cost, Sustainable Bioremediation by Jasper Finkeldey
Cover of the book Governance and The World Bank - a critical and comparative analysis of Mike Stevens and Shiro Gnanaselvam (1995) by Jasper Finkeldey
Cover of the book What makes a collection of people a 'class'? Does grouping people into classes help to explain anything? by Jasper Finkeldey
Cover of the book Humor in Mark Twain's 'The Awful German Language' by Jasper Finkeldey
Cover of the book Ethical Teaching of Seneca: Influence on Economic Relationships by Jasper Finkeldey
Cover of the book Individual and State in William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by Jasper Finkeldey
Cover of the book Assimilation or replacement - a study about Neanderthals and modern humans by Jasper Finkeldey
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy