Contesting Europeanness at the Aegean border: a contrapuntal reading

Abstract

to be undergoing a rupture. The von der Leyen European Commission has proclaimed a geopolitical EU, which
seems difficult to reconcile with its previous identity. This raises the question: How is the process of identity
formation currently unfolding in the European Union? To address this question, the article focuses on migration
policy, which has become a central political discourse and practice in the constitution, production and main-
tenance of European identity. Using the broader Aegean borderland and the 2020 migration crisis as case
studies, it contrapuntally examines: 1) how policymakers, civil society and refugees have provided contesting
identifications with Europe; 2) how such identifications are bundled and stabilised in – and experienced
through – policies; and 3) which alternatives might destabilise them. The study finds that the
EU as deterrence
emerges as a dominant articulation by EU policymakers, although it is audibly contested by European civil
society organisationsí articulation of the EU as liberal and rules-based. The notions of EU as deterrence and the
EU as liberal and rules-based
are intertwined with the EU as humanitarian compassion by policymakers and civil
society. Nonetheless, EU as deterrence dominates the experience of refugees. Humanitarian compassion is
somewhat experienced by refugees, but the EU as liberal and rules-based is scarcely evident. Refugees also
articulate an alternative, namely the EU as part of shared humanity, which acknowledges their agency, poten-
tial and contributions.

Keywords: European Union, Liberal Order, Identity, Crisis, Migration

 

Author Biography

Daniela Huber, University Roma Tre

Daniela Huber is Assistant Professor in the Political Science Department of Roma Tre University. She is also scientific advisor of the Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa Programme at IAI, which she had led from 2019 to 2022, and co-editor of The International Spectator.

She has scientifically coordinated the European Commission funded Horizon 2020 Project MEDRESET (2016-2019), and been involved as co-workpackage leader in the Horizon Europe and 2020 projects SHAPEDEM-EU, BRIDGES, EU-LISTCO, as well as the Jean-Monnet Network EUMENIA.

Her research interests include IR theories and methodologies, international relations and contemporary politics in the Middle East, as well as EU and US foreign policy towards and their role in conflicts in the Middle East. On these issues, she has published two monographs (Palgrave and State University of New York Press), 15 peer-reviewed articles, 7 edited books, 6 book chapters and numerous research papers and commentaries.

She has worked for the United Nations and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in the Middle East and has pursued extensive field research in the region as she lived for 5 years in Jerusalem, and organized/participated in workshops and conferences in Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey.

Published
2024-06-30
Section
Articles