Rethinking Europe Social Theory and the Implications of Europeanization [Hardcover]

Dominant approaches to the transformation of Europe ignore contemporary social theory interpretations of the nature and dynamics of social change. Here, Delanty and Rumford argue that we need a theory of society in order to understand Europeanization. This book advances the case that Europeanization should be theorized in terms of:

• globalization 
• major social transformations that are not exclusively spear-headed by the EU
• the wider context of the transformation of modernity.

This fascinating book broadens the terms of the debate on Europeanization, conventionally limited to the supersession of the nation-state by a supra-national authority and the changes within member states consequent upon EU membership.

Demonstrating the relevance of social theory to contemporary issues and with a focus on European transformation rather than simplistic notions of Europe-building, this truly multidisciplinary volume will appeal to readers from a range of social science disciplines, including sociology, geography, political science and European studies.

1. Theorizing Europeanization: Towards a Constructionist Theory of Society  2. History, Modernity and the Multiple Conceptions of Europe: European Transformation in Historical Perspective  3. Is there a European Identity? European Self-Understanding Beyond Unity and Diversity  4. What Does it Mean to be a European? The Possibility of Cosmopolitan Loyalties  5. The New Cultural Logic of Europeanization: Citizenship, Memory, and Public Discourse  6. The European Social Model: From Welfare State to Learning Society and Beyond  7. Organizing European Space: Borderlands, Undivided Europe', and Spatiality Beyond Territory  8. The European Union as Non-State: The Spatialization of EU Governance  9. Towards a European Polityl“'