How national identification matters: the development of European identification among established ethnic minority groups

Abstract

Based upon the data from qualitative studies of eight national minorities between the Baltic and the Danube, this article investigates the formation of European identification among members of the minority groups representing ‘split nations’ along the new eastern borders of the enlarged EU. The analysis reveals mechanisms of the formation of supranational identification by focusing on the relationships between subnational, national and European identifications to ascertain the degree of interconnectedness of these identification levels. These relationships are examined in the context of the potential impact of perceived ethnic conflict and utilitarian expectations of socio-economic and cultural gains from the process of European integration.

Keywords:

• European identification
• ethnic minorities
• national identification
• interethnic tension
• ethnic discrimination
• Eastern Europe

Acknowledgements

We owe a special thanks to Professor Maykel Verkuyten from the University of Utrecht, Professor Jean Tillie from the University of Amsterdam and Professor Sergei Tumanov from the Moscow State University for their insightful review of the manuscript, constructive criticism and stimulating comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. ENRI-East, a large-scale formalised survey ‘ENRI Values and Identities Survey’ (ENRI-VIS).

<http://www.abdn.ac.uk/socsci/research/new-europe-centre/enrieast-project-364.php>.

2. Hooghe and Marks (2005) and Bruter (2004) report significant correlation between support for European integration and European identification.

3. ENRI-East biographical study (ENRI-BIO) includes full transcripts of 144 interviews with representatives of 12 ethnic minority groups from eight Central and East European countries <http://www.abdn.ac.uk/socsci/research/new-europe-centre/enrieast-project-364.php>.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Natalia Tchistiakova

NATALIA TCHISTIAKOVA is a research fellow at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam. Her primary area of research is the study of social identity and transnationalism.

Natalia Waechter

NATALIA WAECHTER is Professor in the Department of Educational Science at the University of Graz.