IS EUROPEAN CITIZENSHIP AN UTOPIA?

In this examination, we will try to explain the term of European Citizenship from
the identity and cosmopolitan perspective discussing The Turkish and French cases.
First of all, we will see how The European project emerged and later we will take a
look at the cases.
We can define the citizenship as an institution that defines the rights and duties of
individual vis-a-vis the state (Marshall, T.H. and Tom Bottomore, 1992, pp. 9). Is the
European citizenship is possible with all the different elements and cultures of the
European societies? Is a common European cultural identity is enough to cover all the
member states?
According to Gerard Delanty, the character of the European project has transformed
deeply since the day it started to be brought into being. At first, it was an economical
alliance between Western European Countries, and these powers never envisaged that
it would ever be more than that. The numbers of the member countries increased,
besides the transformations of the reasons of EUs existence. The era after and of the
Cold War was especially plenteous with many changes; the extension of the union,
including Eastern and Central Europe, led to reaching the borders of the other of
Europe-Turkey (Gerard Delanty, 1995, Inventing Europe, pp. 84-99).
The enlargement of the Union to southern, eastern, central and Nordic states since
1970s marked a movement of trans nationalization of the nation-state. However, the
current situation goes beyond to another one, which could be called cosmopolitanism.
The issue here is no longer merely transformation of the state; it is the transformation
of the political subjectivity of multiplicity of identities. The European societies are
now interpenetrated. They are becoming more and more mixed as a result of the
common currency, migration, tourism and many other factors. Does not this
integration lead to a supra state? Is not it going to form a single society? Is the
emerging European identity one to replace other identities? Does it coexist with the
other identities? There is an aim of a mosaic of societies leading to a bigger, diverse
and transformed society. Such integration is possible without assimilation? Can this
integration process also cover an Islamic State such Turkey?

Bahar Rumelili in her book, emphasizes that the analyses on the Turkish membership
process tent to point to the identity dimension of the problems; nevertheless, these are
often very simplistic and essentialist. Neither the religious divide between Christian
and Muslim communities or the relation that are referred as the continuation of the
Ottoman Empire can be considered as the sole base of identity conflict (Bahar
Rumelili, Negotiating Europe: EU-Turkey Relations from identity Perspective, Insight
Turkey Vol. 10 / No. 1 / 2008, pp. 97-110). Apart from the Turkish membership
process, is the European identity also able to cover the hybrid identities such as
Turkish-French or Turkish-German identities? Or can we say that the failure of the
European Constitution is the end of the European citizenship project?
Before the European citizenship maybe it is better to ask how the nation state deal
with other like the case of the French experience with Muslims. The French society
has undergone a deep transformation in the last 30 years; this can be explained in two
terms, which are weakening of the national integration models and apparition of some
new forms of community life. The traditional social life has been destructed which
has begun as early as the end of the industrial society. The institutions that ensured
solidarity and equality have been in crisis. Besides, xenophobic and racist ideas on the
nation appeared and strengthened their existence in the political stage. In this
structure, the Muslims have become an issue in the French society. They were a threat
for the French identity. The Muslim immigrants have been picked as the scapegoat.
The anxiety about Muslims was the idea that Islam opted out modernity, thus they
excluded and exposed to social and racial discrimination. (Michel Wievorka, 1998,
Race, Culture and Society: The French Experience with Muslims) The political party
Front National of France makes xenophobic campaigns. The supports of the party
see Islam as contributing to the weakening of the cultural identity of the nation.
France is not the only European country with such experiences on how to see the
Islam and Muslim immigrants. It is expected to get personal and collective outcome,
from the exclusion and despise towards a group. The individuals in this group would
eventually be asserted to some sort of community and the result of exclusion is often
endeavoring to find a place in the Muslim Community.
To conclude, the racist approaches are becoming more and more common in the
political discourses in Europe. European states that are trying to create a common
European identity, cannot even deal with the different elements in their own society.

The term of the citizenship today became more and more discussible issue. The
integration politics of the countries and the managements of the cultural diversity in
Europe are the main problems recently.

Z. Muge ONER

Bibliography

Bahar Rumelili, Negotiating Europe: EU-Turkey Relations from identity

Perspective, Insight Turkey Vol. 10 / No. 1 / 2008, pp. 97-110.

Marshall, T.H. and Tom Bottomore, 1992, Citizenship and Social Class,

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Gerard Delanty, 1995, Inventing Europe, pp. 84-99.
Michel Wievorka, 1998, Race, Culture and Society: The French Experience
with Muslims.