Symbolic Politics and European Integration: the Role of National Symbols and Identity

Abstract

The previous chapter introduced a theory of inter-group relations that was in many ways rather similar to the utilitarian approach, in that at the heart of the theory there was some element of competition for resources. As discussed in that chapter, however, perceptions of competition for resources may not stem from individual feelings of vulnerability to such competition but concern for the resources of one’s in-group. This chapter takes a somewhat different approach to the question of attitudes to European integration, drawing on another literature known as ‘symbolic politics’. Rather than postulating that competition for economic resources is at the heart of feelings of hostility toward other groups, this approach contends that out-groups pose threats to important symbols that the in-group holds to be dear (see McLaren 2002, 2004; see also Hooghe and Marks 2004 and Carey 2002 for further explanations of the importance of national identity). This theory will be first outlined as applied in the context of attitudes toward minority groups — one of the key areas for which the theory was originally developed — and is then introduced as an explanation of variation in opinion regarding European integration.