The Symbolic Politics of European Integration : Staging Europe

Front Matter ....Pages i-x Introduction: The EC as a Theater State (Jacob Krumrey)....Pages 1-13 Front Matter ....Pages 15-15 Statesmen Made in Washington: Official EC Visits to the United States (Jacob Krumrey)....Pages 17-56 At the Eurocrats’ Court: Foreign Representatives, Diplomatic Ceremonies, and the Empty Chair Crisis (Jacob Krumrey)....Pages 57-79 Ambassadors from Europe: The EC’s Diplomatic Missions in Britain and the United States (Jacob Krumrey)....Pages 81-107 Front Matter ....Pages 109-109 The Self-Styled Constituante: From the Council of Europe to the Common Assembly (Jacob Krumrey)....Pages 111-130 Constitutional Theater: From the Common Assembly to the European Parliament (Jacob Krumrey)....Pages 131-153 Front Matter ....Pages 155-155 The Provincial Heart of Postwar Europe: The Seats of the Council of Europe and the ECSC in Strasbourg and Luxembourg (Jacob Krumrey)....Pages 157-177 A Europe Ruled from Paris? Paris, Brussels, and the Battle for the Seat of the EC (Jacob Krumrey)....Pages 179-206 Conclusion: The Power of Europe (Jacob Krumrey)....Pages 207-214 Epilogue: Symbolic Surplus and Democratic Deficit (Jacob Krumrey)....Pages 215-217 Back Matter ....Pages 219-250 "This book presents a cultural history of European integration. It revisits the European Community's postwar origins through the lens of symbolic representation and so reveals a hitherto unknown side to Europe's notorious technocrats. They were not simply administrators: they were skillful marketing experts, clever spin doctors, and talented stage directors. After all, what made the European Community stand out among the multitude of postwar European organizations? This book argues that it was not so much its vaunted supranationalism, nor its economic significance; it was its self-proclaimed role as torchbearer of European unity. Combining archival research with media analysis, The Symbolic Politics of European Integration reviews Europe's early parliaments, its early diplomacy, and its long search for "capital cities," from Strasbourg to Brussels. It tells the story of the political theater that staged an enterprise of technocrats as the embodiment of a Europe united in peace and prosperity. This book is an invaluable resource for historians of postwar Europe, as well as for analysts of today's EU, who seek to understand how coal, steel, and tariffs became the stuff the European dream was made of."-- Provided by publisher This book presents a cultural history of European integration. It revisits the European Community’s postwar origins through the lens of symbolic representation and so reveals a hitherto unknown side to Europe’s notorious technocrats. They were not simply administrators: they were skillful marketing experts, clever spin doctors, and talented stage directors. After all, what made the European Community stand out among the multitude of postwar European organizations? This book argues that it was not so much its vaunted supranationalism, nor its economic significance; it was its self-proclaimed role as torchbearer of European unity. Combining archival research with media analysis, __The Symbolic Politics of European Integration__ reviews Europe’s early parliaments, its early diplomacy, and its long search for “capital cities,” from Strasbourg to Brussels. It tells the story of the political theater that staged an enterprise of technocrats as the embodiment of a Europe united in peace and prosperity. This book is an invaluable resource for historians of postwar Europe, as well as for analysts of today’s EU, who seek to understand how coal, steel, and tariffs became the stuff the European dream was made of.