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An ethnonational perspective on territorial politics in the EU: east-west comparisons from a pilot study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

Boyka M. Stefanova
Boyka M. Stefanova*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science & Geography, The University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
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Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between European integration and ethnonational demands with the example of selected regions in the European Union (EU). It follows the theoretical premises of new regionalism and explores the ways in which ethnonational groups use the opportunities and resources of European governance to express their identities, material interests, and political demands. Methodologically, it conducts a plausibility probe of the potential effects of European integration on ethnonationalism by testing for regional differences in identities, interests, and political attitudes. The case studies are drawn from the UK (Wales and Scotland), Belgium (Flanders), Austria (Carinthia and Burgenland), Romania (Northwest and Center regions), and Bulgaria (South-Central and South-Eastern regions) as a representative selection of regional interests in the EU. The paper finds that European integration affects ethnonational groups by reinforcing identity construction in the direction of inclusiveness and diversity. Although regional actors are more supportive of the EU than the European publics in general, they also seek access to representation in the authority structures of the state. Based on these findings, the paper concludes that European integration facilitates a growing public acceptance of its resources, in parallel with persisting allegiances to the nation-state, the community, and ethnoregional distinctiveness.

Keywords

European integrationethnonational groupsnew regionalism
Type
Research Article
Information
Nationalities Papers , Volume 42 , Issue 3 , May 2014 , pp. 449 - 468
Copyright
Copyright © 2014 Association for the Study of Nationalities 

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