A Primer on (Trans)National Identities

Abstract

In the social sciences, identity-based theories relating to (trans)nationalism and its sociopolitical expression gained in importance with the end of the Cold War, the popularity of postmodernist thinking, and the accelerated processes of globalization evoking identity politics. One major problematic issue, however, remains the diverse and often generalizing, undifferentiated use of such theoretical constructs. In the following chapter a specification of the terms collective identities and (trans)nationalism and an overview of EU-related integration-based theories enable a closer look at the links between these concepts. Sociopsychological studies on identity formation and sociological writings on nationalism provide guidance in assessing the fundamental question about the sometimes antagonistic coexistence of national and transnational identities in Europe, while the political science literature on integration guides the hypotheses developed with respect to transnational identification with the EU.