The balancing act : national identity and sovereignty for Britain in Europe / Atsuko Ichijo.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ichijo, Atsuko, 1967- author.

Series:

Societas (Imprint Academic (Firm))

Societas : essays in political & cultural criticism

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sovereignty.

Nationalism--Great Britain.

Nationalism.

Great Britain--Foreign relations--Europe.

Great Britain.

Europe--Foreign relations--Great Britain.

Europe.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (162 p.)

Edition:

2nd ed.

Place of Publication:

Exeter ; Charlottesville, Virginia : Imprint Academic, [2015]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This is a careful examination of the historical formation of Britain and of key moments in its relations with the European powers. The author looks at the governing discourses of politicians, the mass media, and the British people. The rhetoric of sovereignty among political elites and the population at large is found to conceive of Britain's engagement with Europe as a zero-sum game. A second theme is the power of geographical images - island Britain - in feeding the idea of the British nation as by nature separate and autonomous. It follows that the EU is seen as 'other' and involvement in E

Contents:

Cover ; Contents ; Front Matter ; Title Page ; Publisher Information ; List of Tables ; Preface; Acknowledgements; The Balancing Act ; Introduction; State and Nation Formation in Britain ; Introduction; The formation of Britain as an independent state; Dominant discourses of nationhood; Concluding remarks; British Involvement with European Integration ; Introduction; An overview of relations with Europe: events and issues; The British as reluctant Europeans: some explanation; Geopolitical conditions; Historical conditions: English experiences; Public attitudes towards Europe

Concluding remarksBritain's Place in the World: Political Elites' View ; Introduction; Representations of Britain; Britain as a global player; Britain the good-a moral force; Britain's relationship with the US and Europe; Representations of the EU; Negative representations of Europe; Positive views of Europe; Enlargement; The EU constitution; Concluding remarks; What Do the Media Make of Britain and Europe? ; Introduction; Nice Summit; The representations of Britain; The relationship between Britain and the EU; The representations of the EU; The euro launch; The representation of Britain

The relationship with the EUThe representation of the EU; Nations, nation-states and their sovereignty; The EU constitution (The Treaty for Establishing a Constitution for Europe) ; Concluding remarks; What Do 'Real' People Think? The Survey ; Introduction; Closeness to various groups; Patterns of identification; British identity; European Identity; Conceptions of Identity; Concluding remarks; What Do 'Real' People Think? The Interviews ; Introduction; Claim of lack of knowledge/interest; Representations of Britain and the British; Britain as an Island; Britain: caught up in history

Britain as a bridge between Europe and the USRepresentations of the EU; Alienation; Appreciation; The euro; The euro: against; The euro: for; European identity; European as opposed to Americans/people from the rest of the world; European as opposed to British; Concluding remarks; Conclusion; Back Matter ; Bibliography; Appendix; Index; Also Available

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (ebrary, viewed April 25, 2016).

ISBN:

1-84540-858-6

1-84540-859-4