European Integration and Cultural Identity

Hye Yang SHIN

Journal of Humanities

2015, (56), pp.303-328
Publisher : Institute for Humanities
Research Area : Other Humanities

Hye Yang SHIN ¹

¹숙명여자대학교

ABSTRACT

The plan to integrate Europe into what has become the enormouscommunity of the European Union (EU) was germinated in the early 1950sright after World War II and was rapidly facilitated after the reunification ofGermany in 1990. As a result, Europe has unified its market, completed thepolitical and economic integration, and adopted a single currency – the euro– among its member countries. Such a remarkable progress can be an objectof admiration for the people of Asia. The plan to establish “one Europe” hasa long history. The idea of European integration based on a peacefulagreement was suggested by Europeans during the period of the Thirty Years'War in the 17th century. Afterwards, intellectuals including philosophers andauthors dreamt of European integration as their ideal. Although the specificideas were different according to advocates, they mostly conceived a religiousand cultural European community based on Christianity. The European Unionas a politically and economically integrated system of today, however, fails toperform its role of culturally integrating the European countries with differentlanguages and cultures. Although the European Union attempts to establish anew cultural identity to cope with the image of new Europe, this designcannot be achieved only by polices alone. Many intellectuals have criticizedthat the European Union has not been able to properly deal with diversecultures and regional characteristics in terms of legislation and policyimplementation. This paper is aimed at figuring out, from the perspectives of major critics,who were the major advocates of the European discourses suggesting oneEurope as the ideal before the European integration and what has preventedEurope from establishing an ideal European Union in the process ofEuropean integration in the late 20th century. This study will put much focuson Hans Magnus Enzensberger and Robert Menasse, along with theirwritings, who criticized the non-democratic aspects and economy-centeredpolicies of the European Union. With regard to European discourses oncultural identity, this study will then examine: how literature interprets theconcept of ‘European literature’; what is the meaning of literary works –the regional cultural assets of Europe in each period – as the commoncultural legacy of Europe; and what is the characteristic of Europeanliterature and its relation to European cultural identity. Finally, this paper willpredict the creation of a space of transcultural communications based on thecultural identity of Europe in the contemporary times of global culture.
KEYWORDS

European Integration, European Union, Cultural Identity, European Literature, Enzensberger, Menasse
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