Europe: Making and Breaking of Nations (EURO30005)

This subject explores national identity in Europe in the modern era through studying the ‘making’ and ‘breaking’ of nations at key moments in Europe’s modern history. It examines how major events such as wars, revolutions, colonialism and the advent of the European Union give rise to and reconfigure national identity in Europe. It also asks whether there is such a thing as “European” identity. It introduces students to the national myths and legends of Western European countries such as France, Germany, Italy, and Spain as well as select countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Students will read stories of national beginnings and endings, tales of heroism and rebirth, nostalgia and hope, liberation and unity, taken from popular culture, songs, poems, drama and art. An enduring theme will be the ways in which national traditions, myths and symbols are constructed or “invented” at particular moments. Students will therefore gain an appreciation of nation and national identity in Europe as a discursive process, and an understanding of the distinct national stories of a number of European countries.