Britain, Europe and National Identity - Self and Other in International Relations

"Britain's stormy relationship with the European Union is a frequently cited illustration of a Eurosceptic state par excellence. Possessive of a strong national identity, a unique island status, a plethora of wartime experiences and a tenacious hold overits sovereignty, Britain has long been invested with an 'awkward partner' status. This study seeks to unravel such presuppositions to answer the central research question: How has British national identity been forged and constructed by competing political elite visions of Europe? It patterns Britain's national identity over a number of important historical milestones and brings the debates over Europe up-to-date with an analysis of recent happenings including the referendum on Scottish independence, theglobal economic crisis and the current crisis in Syria"--

List of contents

1. Introduction 2. Theory and Method 3. The European Communities Membership Referendum 4. The Maastricht Treaty 5. The Treaty of Lisbon 6. Accounting for Change - The Evolution of National Identities 7. Conclusion: Post-Lisbon and British National Identity

About the author

Justin Gibbins gained his PhD. in International Relations from the University of Birmingham, UK. He has taught political science courses, as well as English modules, at Universities in Bahrain and Turkey.

Product details

• Authors: J Gibbins, J. Gibbins, Justin Gibbins
• Publisher: Palgrave UK
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 03.10.2014
• EAN: 9781137376336
• ISBN: 978-1-137-37633-6
• No. of pages: 232
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Comparative and international political science; B, European Politics, Political Science, International Relations, European Union, Politics & government, Political science & theory, Political Economy, Comparative Politics, Political science and theory, EU (European Union), International Organization, International Political Economy, European Union Politics, Palgrave Political Science Collection, International Political Economy’