This book addresses the question of what it means, and has meant, to be European, covering the period from Antiquity to the end of the twentieth century. The essays discuss questions of politics, law, religion, culture, literature and affectivity in a broad account of how a distinctive European identity has grown over the centuries and its place in the future evolution of the European Union. In all the literature on European integration, no other book takes such a long historical perspective nor deals directly with the question of identity.

Part I: Introduction Anthony Pagden; 1. Europe: conceptualising a continent Anthony Pagden; 2. Some Europes in their History J. G. A. Pocock; 3. 'Europe' in the Middle Ages William Chester Jordan; 4. The Republican mirror: the Dutch idea of Europe Hans Blom; 5. The Napoleonic Empire and the Europe of nations Biancamaria Fontana; 6. Homo politicus and homo oeconomicus: the European citizen according to Max Weber Wilfried Nippel; Part II: 7. The European self rethinking an attitude Michael Herzfeld; 8. European Nationalism and European Union Ariane Chebel d'Appollonia; 9. From the ironies of identity to the identity of ironies Luisa Passerini; 10. Muslims and European identity: can Europe represent Islam? Talal Asad; 11. The long road to unity: the contribution of law to the process of European integration, 1945-1995 Philip Ruttley; 12. The Euro, economic federalism and the question of national sovereignty Elie Cohen; 13. Identity politics and European integration: the case of Germany Thomas Risse and Daniela Engelmann-Martin; 14. Nationalism in Spain: the organization of Convivencia Andrés de Blas Guerrero; 15. The Kantian idea of Europe: critical and cosmopolitan perspectives James Tully.