Erika Harris

New forms of identity in contemporary Europe

Abstract The articles main theme is national identity and its questionable role in establishing identity of a European political community. It is argued that political integration within the European Union requires a normative and conceptual re‐examination of the concept of national identity. ‘Europeanisation’ in the context of this article suggests the integration of national groups within and between the states of the Union is a project rooted in the political future. Consequently, national identity, inspired historically, may have reached a stage whereby its utility has expired.

'What is New about "Eastern Nationalism" and What are the Implications for Studies of Ethnicity Today?,

Focusing on the character of postcommunist extreme nationalist parties, the meaning of “the nation” and the role of historical memory in Central and Eastern Europe, the article defends the notion of “eastern” nationalism with an aim to suggest a more fruitful research into ethnic politics in the region. It argues that contemporary “eastern” nationalism has its own dynamic; it encompasses a number of themes and developments some of which confirm that the eastern part of the continent is more ethnic, but yet others that negate it and are perhaps showing a way forward in the Europe of the future.