Representations of Europe and a Typology of European Identity

Abstract

Abstract This article aims to examine the association between the representations of Europe and the level of European identification. Using a qualitative methodology, 36 Europeans, from the Free Movement Area, were interviewed from a life course perspective. The findings support the thesis that representations of Europe are a factor to explain European identification. Individuals that show a higher level of identification tend to see a similar European culture and/or to associate Europe with a set of Civic values (human rights, freedom, non-violence). When individuals tend to emphasise cultural diversity (multiculturalism) and/or the instrumental features associated with the EU project (the free movement) they tend to show a weaker identification. Thus, a typology with six types of Europeans is proposed: Transcendent, Symbolic-Stateless, Affective, Floating, Citizen, and Associative.