The European Identity Crisis

Before I delve into the primary topic of my blog, I really want to focus on an important issue to consider while traveling around Europe: the European Identity Crisis. Throughout European history there have been horrific wars, genocide, general strife over territories and borders, and the issue of the immigration of "the other" (Roma or Gypsies, Eastern Europeans, Jews). However, it was always emphasized that each country must maintain a strong sense of national identity. But after WWII and the fall of Communism many borders were changed and new countries were created. How are national identities supposed to be maintained when countries are split apart, borders are shifted, and there is an influx of minority groups pouring into many European countries?

Currently the answer to all of this, or at least the propagandized answer to this question, is that the European Union is supposed to unite Europeans by embracing the diversity present within Europe and stating that, regardless of varying histories and cultures, Europe can unite to work towards a better a future. This view may be idealistic and bring hope, but one can’t simply look past the still-present tension between old national alliances and new national alliances. Not to mention the now wavering economies of many European nations, due in part to the introduction of the Euro. Moreover, beneath the surface, Europe as a whole still has a very dark history that it has to move past in order to move forward. Even the rest of the world is guilty of looking at Europe through rose-colored glasses. When planning a trip to Europe one thinks of the glorious parts of its history, the beautiful architecture and artwork, the landscapes, café culture etc. In reality, Europe could be considered a dark continent; not dark in the sense of skin color, as this term is generally used to refer to Africa. Europe is dark in the sense that it has a bloody history of genocide, wars, revolutions, religious suppression, and unrestrained colonialism and conquest.

One of the main issues people have with the European Union is that it overlooks the difficulties some countries are still facing with recent border changes that may have even created an entirely new country. Having studied abroad in Prague in the Czech Republic for over four months, I plan to utilize many examples from my experiences in my blog posts. After the fall of Communism, Czechoslovakia was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The two countries share many cultural traits and their languages differ only slightly, and most of the two countries inhabitants remember when the two countries were united and still feel a strong connection to being Czechoslovakian. Many arguments have arisen over whether certain traditions, songs, and stories should now belong solely to the Czech Republic or to Slovakia. This leads to the question what does it really mean to be Czech or Slovak? Do you have had to have been born after 1989 to be one or the other or are you supposed to immediately conform to your new imposed identity regardless of your loyalties to Czechoslovakia?

I want to share this link from the Prague Post to also focus on discussion of “the other” or minorities within Europe: http://www.praguepost.com/news/5647-schwarzenberg-blasts-immigration-summit.html

This article discusses how the Czech Foreign Affairs Minister Karel Schwarzenberg criticized France for not inviting the Czech Republic, Romania, or Bulgaria to the immigration summit in Paris (France has decided to expel hundreds of Roma from France to Romania and Bulgaria). While I was studying abroad in Prague, Roma were mentioned many times during our orientation. Roma are essentially gypsies, who are often squatters, who have primarily lived in Central and Eastern Europe. They are often associated with petty crime and generally being a detriment to society. Integration of Roma is basically non-existent. Our program wanted us to be aware of the Roma situation in the Czech Republic, so we could better understand the Czech mentality towards them. While I never encountered any Roma myself, it was clear that many of the adults had a strong distaste for them.

That being said I found this quote from the article very interesting: "Speaking to journalists after the talks, Schwarzenberg said he is sensitive about the Roma issue because he grew up close to the camp in Lety, south Bohemia, where more than 1,300 Roma were gathered during the Nazi occupation." While Schwarzenberg may be Czech and therefore should have a negative view towards Romas because he grew up so close to a concentration camp filled with many Roma, he can't help but sympathize with them. In this instance he is going against what his national identity tells him he should feel. This emphasizes that nationalistic tendencies cannot be so black and white, there are so many outside influences to consider that uniquely influence each individuals’ view of nationalism. Finally, the article mentions "In a recent interview, Schwarzenberg said he believed that the French expulsion - spearheaded by Sarkozy - "goes against the spirit and rules of the EU."" He added "to put it mildly, when inspecting the case, one cannot but voice the suspicion that racist motivation plays a role, too." It would appear that the spirit and the rules of the European Union are not being embraced by all Europeans, only time will tell how long it will take for everyone to support the EU vision. Is this even realistic considering the fact that there are so many differing cultural histories? A pessimistic view would argue that certain racist views are so embedded in European history that it will be impossible for Europe to move forward. Being an optimist, I think Europe has advanced enough that it will continue to advance in a way that increases its tolerance of minorities like Romas.

I really feel that it is important for European travelers, especially students, to have an understanding of cultural identity within Europe and to keep in mind Europe’s tumultuous history before judging each country’s varying forms of nationalism. This kind of discussion may come up in conversation with foreigners and it is important to be respectful and to understand possibly contradicting views.