The politics of everyday Europe : constructing authority in the European Union

How Do Political Authorities Build Support For Themselves And Their Rule? Doing So Is Key To Accruing Power, But It Can Be A Complicated Affair. The European Union, As A Novel Political Entity, Faces A Particularly Difficult Set Of Challenges. The Politics Of Everyday Europe Argues That The Legitimation Of Eu Authority Rests In Part On A Transformation In The Symbols And Practices Of Everyday Life In Europe. The Single Market And The Euro, European Citizenship And The Dismantling Of Borders Within Europe, Eu Public Architecture, Arts And Popular Entertainment, And Eu Diplomacy And Foreign Policy Are Important Not Only For Their Material Effects But For How They Change Peoples' Day-to-day Experiences And Naturalize European Governance. The Modern Nation-state Has Long Used Similar Strategies To Legitimize Its Political Power. But The Eu's Cultural Infrastructure Is Unique, As It Navigates National Identities With A Particularly Banality, Framing The Eu As Complementary To, Rather Than In Competition With, The Nation-states. These Underlying Social Processes Have Supported The Surprising Political Development Of The Eu, But They Do So In A Way That Makes Eu Authority Inherently Fragile. As Economic And Political Crises Have Stretched European Social Solidarity To The Breaking Point, This Book Offers A Clear Theoretical Framework For Understanding How Everyday Culture Matters And How The Construction Of Meaning Can Be A Potent Power Resource - - Albeit One Open To Contestation And Subversion By The Very Citizens It Calls Into Being. --publisher's Description. Constructing The Eu As A Social Fact -- Technologies Of Cultural Construction -- Buildings, Spectacles, And Songs -- Citizenship And Mobility -- The Euro And The Single Market -- European Foreign Policy. Kathleen R. Mcnamara. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. How do political authorities build support for themselves and their rule? Doing so is key to accruing power, but it can be a complicated affair. The European Union, as a novel political entity, faces a particularly difficult set of challenges. The Politics of Everyday Europe argues that the legitimation of EU authority rests in part on a transformation in the symbols and practices of everyday life in Europe. The Single Market and the Euro, the legal category of European Citizen and policies promoting the free movement of people, EU public architecture, arts and popular entertainment, and EU diplomacy and foreign policy all generate symbols and practices that change peoples'day-to-day experiences naturalizing European governance.The modern nation-state has long used similar strategies of nationalism and'imagined communities'to legitimize its political power. But the EU's cultural infrastructure is unique, as it navigates European national identities with a particularly banality, trying to make the EU seem complementary to, not in competition with, the nation-states. While this cultural legitimation has successfully underpinned the EU's surprising political development, Europe today is more often met with indifference by its citizens rather than affection. As economic and political crises have stretched European social solidarity to the breaking point, this book offers a clear theoretical framework for understanding how everyday culture matters fundamentally in the political life of the EU, and how the construction of meaning can be a potent power resource-albeit one open to contestation and subversion by the very citizens it calls into being. How do political authorities build support for themselves and their rule? Doing so is key to accruing power, but it can be a complicated affair. The European Union, as a novel political entity, faces a particularly difficult set of challenges. __The Politics of Everyday Europe__ argues that the legitimation of EU authority rests in part on a transformation in the symbols and practices of everyday life in Europe. The Single Market and the Euro, European citizenship and the dismantling of borders within Europe, EU public architecture, arts and popular entertainment, and EU diplomacy and foreign policy are important not only for their material effects but for how they change peoples' day-to-day experiences and naturalize European governance. The modern nation-state has long used similar strategies to legitimize its political power. But the EU's cultural infrastructure is unique, as it navigates national identities with a particularly banality, framing the EU as complementary to, rather than in competition with, the nation-states. These underlying social processes have supported the surprising political development of the EU, but they do so in a way that makes EU authority inherently fragile. As economic and political crises have stretched European social solidarity to the breaking point, this book offers a clear theoretical framework for understanding how everyday culture matters and how the construction of meaning can be a potent power resource--albeit one open to contestation and subversion by the very citizens it calls into being. "How do political authorities build support for themselves and their rule? Doing so is key to accruing power, but it can be a complicated affair. The European Union, as a novel political entity, faces a particularly difficult set of challenges. The Politics of Everyday Europe argues that the legitimation of EU authority rests in part on a transformation in the symbols and practices of everyday life in Europe. The Single Market and the Euro, European citizenship and the dismantling of borders within Europe, EU public architecture, arts and popular entertainment, and EU diplomacy and foreign policy are important not only for their material effects but for how they change peoples' day-to-day experiences and naturalize European governance. The modern nation-state has long used similar strategies to legitimize its political power. But the EU's cultural infrastructure is unique, as it navigates national identities with a particularly banality, framing the EU as complementary to, rather than in competition with, the nation-states. These underlying social processes have supported the surprising political development of the EU, but they do so in a way that makes EU authority inherently fragile. As economic and political crises have stretched European social solidarity to the breaking point, this book offers a clear theoretical framework for understanding both the power of everyday culture, and its limits, in legitimating the EU." -- Publisher's web site Cover 1 The Politics of Everyday Europe 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 14 1. Introduction 16 2. Constructing the EU as a Social Fact 36 3. Technologies of Cultural Construction 60 4. Buildings, Spectacles, and Songs 77 5. Citizenship and Mobility 106 6. The Euro and the Single Market 128 7. European Foreign Policy 150 8. Conclusion 176 References 188 Index 212 Content: 1. Introduction 2. How to Construct a Social Fact 3. Technologies of Cultural Construction 4. Buildings, Spectacles, and Songs 5. Citizenship and Mobility 6. The Euro and the Single Market 7. European Foreign Policy 8. Conclusion