The article argues that the European Union, despite being a differentkind of polity, has political myths that are similar to those that have characterisednation-states. It examines two types of political myth – foundation and exceptionalism –and demonstrates that they have been used in an attempt to make the EuropeanUnion understandable and acceptable as a form of governing. The article also arguesthat political myths about the EU have had limited success not only because they arebased on the same content as national myths but also because they do not always con-form to recognisable narrative forms. The EU, with its ambiguous aim of creating ‘anever closer union’, does not provide the basis for sacred narratives that become norma-tive and cognitive maps that make the new polity ‘normal’ and provide the EU with on-tological security.

Europe’s odyssey?: political myth andthe European Union / Della Sala, Vincenzo. - In: NATIONS AND NATIONALISM. - ISSN 1469-8129. - 2016, 22:3(2016), pp. 524-541. [10.1111/nana.12159]

Europe’s odyssey?: political myth andthe European Union

Della Sala, Vincenzo
2016-01-01

Abstract

The article argues that the European Union, despite being a differentkind of polity, has political myths that are similar to those that have characterisednation-states. It examines two types of political myth – foundation and exceptionalism –and demonstrates that they have been used in an attempt to make the EuropeanUnion understandable and acceptable as a form of governing. The article also arguesthat political myths about the EU have had limited success not only because they arebased on the same content as national myths but also because they do not always con-form to recognisable narrative forms. The EU, with its ambiguous aim of creating ‘anever closer union’, does not provide the basis for sacred narratives that become norma-tive and cognitive maps that make the new polity ‘normal’ and provide the EU with on-tological security.
2016
3
Della Sala, Vincenzo
Europe’s odyssey?: political myth andthe European Union / Della Sala, Vincenzo. - In: NATIONS AND NATIONALISM. - ISSN 1469-8129. - 2016, 22:3(2016), pp. 524-541. [10.1111/nana.12159]
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
nana.12159.pdf

Solo gestori archivio

Tipologia: Versione editoriale (Publisher’s layout)
Licenza: Tutti i diritti riservati (All rights reserved)
Dimensione 202.84 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
202.84 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri
Europe’s Odyssey June 2015.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: Post-print referato (Refereed author’s manuscript)
Licenza: Creative commons
Dimensione 218.14 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
218.14 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11572/155701
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 30
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 26
social impact