Citizenship and Cultural Identities in the EU: Old Questions, New Answers
18 -19 October 2007, Istanbul - Turkey
http://esshra. tubitak.gov. tr/Istanbul_ conference_ rationale. htm
Relevant Documents
Conference Concept Note
ESSHRA-Questionnair e Results for Turkey
Conference Rationale
The present social and political realities of citizenship in contemporary Europe are different in both scope and content from the problems faced by states in the 20th century, and cannot be understood in terms of the 20th Century’s nation state models. This leaves us with the intricate challenge of developing new perspectives to understand, describe, and analyze “the new” in what is happening in Europe.
In the European Union, diversity of many kinds, transnational mobility, multiple and mobile identities and different forms of government and of governance are some of these realities. These now appear in new form and with a new substance compared to their earlier appearances in the European history. Neither the member states’ governments nor the European Union’s supranational and intergovernmental institutions seem to possess and adequate terminology and policy repertoire to address “the new” in Europe.
The aim of this conference will be to bring together researchers involved in ongoing Europe-wide projects on issues of Identity and Civil Society, Gender, Migration, Youth, and Religion/Values, both to disseminate information about specific projects in these areas, and also to discuss their potential in terms of developing new strategies of comparative research and theoretical insights.
The thematic sessions of the conference will provide a forum for in-depth discussions on individual projects, as well as offering an opportunity to engage with some of the broader issues and concerns which to run across them. To facilitate such joint deliberation on questions of mutual interest, a series of suggestions
have been included under each thematic heading. Scholars participating in different thematic sessions are encouraged to address some of these questions (and/or propose new ones) both in terms of their relevance for their own projects, and also in the
context of joint discussions.
Area 1 : Migration and Citizenship
At the beginning of a new millennium Europe, associated primarily with the whole integrative idea of European Union, finds itself at a critical juncture in its recent history. The recent process of economic, political, and social transformations in Europe seems to be creating the opportunity for the development of
postmodern citizenship. What is very central to this process is the flows of international migrants into our contemporary societies. This session combines a
debate of the societal transformations in Europe with an exploration of the different dimensions of the conventional notion of citizenship as it is often questioned through the presence of the international migrants in almost every corner of the continent. With this background, this Session intends to answer the
following questions: "To what extent and how is it international migration that makes citizens feel challenged by the conventional notion of citizenship
and often puzzled by accounts of their legal status, identities, and civic virtues on the one hand, and those of their membership status, sense of belonging,
and attachment on the other hand?" and "How does a supra-national entity, such as EU, make this challenge even more complicated? "
Area 2 : Gender, Diversity and Citizenship
This special session will be devoted to ongoing comparative projects which foreground gender as the primary focus of research and analysis. The aim will
be to move beyond ‘information sharing’ towards a critical discussion on the possibilities and potential of distinctively European perspectives and approaches
to gender issues.
There is little doubt that EU funding has helped gender research to grow dramatically and to establish itself as an institutional field across Europe. The
inclusion of a ‘gender dimension’ in all EU-level projects, has meant that many researchers whose horizons were limited by the ‘national’ barely a decade ago, now routinely travel, interact and collaborate in integrated projects which have become
a part of the European research environment.
What is still missing in this picture, are distinctively European concepts, approaches or perspectives which might provoke innovative ways of thinking on gender issues.
Against this background, a complexity of issues seem worth reflection and deliberation. For instance:
What are some of dilemmas posed by new forms of ‘institutionalizatio n’ in gender studies?
Has the incorporation of a ‘gender dimension’ in all EU-wide projects led to compromises which tend to blunt rather than sharpen the critical edge of gender
scholarship?
How do we begin to understand the contradictory implications of EU funding policies - which encourage European researchers to collaborate with each other, (rather with non-Europeans, especially U.S. colleagues) – at a moment of phenomenal dynamism in
networks and interconnections between gender-based movements and scholarship across the globe?
The intension in posing such general (and admittedly crude) questions, is to provoke debate rather than foreclose it. So we anticipate them to be modified, refined and/or discarded in favor of new ones, during the course of discussion.
Area 3 : Civil Society, Identity and Citizenship
In recent decades, the world has been characterized, more than anything else, by the process of globalization. In addition to goods, services and finance capital, the flow of information around the globe –with respect to both volume and speed- has
increased at truly phenomenal rates. Indeed, some have commented that the contemporary world is fast becoming a global village. It is also argued that
culture is also being standardized in this global village and that we are becoming “McDonaldized.” Yet, it is also a fact that, in this era of widespread and
fast globalization, local identities are becoming more relevant and significantly more pronounced. Ethnic, religious, national and regional identities have become sources of potential or actual conflict which sometimes can assume a dangerously violent character. Managing diversity, harnessing it so that it can be instrumental in achieving long-term peace and prosperity, and learning to avoid identity based
conflict are major challenges of our times. This is a vital, one could even say an existential, problem in all corners of the globe and it is especially topical
for the EU which is striving for “unity within diversity.”
With this background, this session will address the following questions:
To what extent is constitutional citizenship a panacea for identity based conflict within a society? Is European citizenship a realistic aim or a dream? What is the role of the civil society in managing diversity? Can ethnic and cultural diversity become as useful and functional as biodiversity or will it always remain as a source of potential conflict? Is globalization bringing about cultural convergence
or divergence?
Area 4 : The Cultural Politics of "Youth"
The ‘youth question’ has entered the European agenda with unmistakable urgency in the past few years. It figures prominently in reports on unemployment, equity
in education, or migration. Since European populations are now proportionately older than ever before, demographics does not explain the recent attention to youth. So it seems plausible to argue that that the mounting awareness “youth” stems from its significance in the political arena.
This special session is intended to bring together research projects which focus on shifting realities of youth and identity politics in contemporary Europe. Put in another way, it will focus on projects which explore the situated experiences of ‘youth’, and their implications for new forms of activism and modes of political participation.
Area 5 : Values and Religions
Western and Northern Europe are regarded by many as clear evidence confirming the secularization theory. In addition to France, Mediterranean societies like Spain and Italy also seem to be undergoing a process of secularization as predicted by the theory. Yet, religion, or more specifically Christianity, was a major issue in the negotiations on the now defunct European constitution. As a compromise, the final
text did make a reference to “Europe’s religious heritage.” Is it reasonable to see such developments –and one could easily find numerous similar examples- as refutations of the secularization theory? And how pertinent is the alternative theory which applies market principles to religious life and which predicts that competition among religions, denominations, etc. increases levels of religiosity while regulation has an impact in the opposite direction? The objective of this session is to assess the confirmation status of these approaches bringing together historical evidence and data from values surveys. Thus, the discussions will focus on three main questions and issues related to these questions:
Is religion (or Christianity or Judeo-Christian tradition) one of the cultural pillars of contemporary European society?
In the European context, which, if any, of the theories mentioned above seem to be more valid? Consequently, what is the predicted path for European societies?
How will Europe deal with Islam, both at elite and mass levels?
http://esshra. tubitak.gov. tr/index. htm
ESSHRA aims to enhance research collaboration between the SSH research communities in the context of an enlarged EU and in the context of a widening European Research Area (ERA). To widen the SSH research agenda of the EU, ESSHRA helps to take into account research priorities of an enlarged European research community for future agenda setting of the ERA and to benefit from the already made transnational research
experiences.
ESSHRA will identify future research topics and research priorities in Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) to contribute to the development of transnational research policies for enlarging the European research agenda in SSH. To achieve these aims ESSHRA will employ the dissemination of previous Framework Programme research results as a mode for initiating dialogues among transnational and national
research communities on the research needs and priorities for identifying future research topics in SSH and for scaffolding transnational research policies. A series of SSH Conferences will be held in project partner countries as a means for stimulating dialogue on research findings among SSH researchers and policy makers.
Specific Objectives of the ESSHRA Project:
To identify SSH research priorities related with the EU in project partner countries; namely Turkey, Malta, Switzerland, and Bulgaria.
To stimulate international dialogue among SSH researchers on the identified research topics,
To disseminate research findings of previous Framework Programme SSH projects, especially to policy makers,
To facilitate dialogue among SSH researchers and policy makers on policy implications of research,
To initiate a scientific debate among researchers and research policy experts on transnational research practices,
To develop policy recommendations for scaffolding future transnational research collaborations.
Muzaffer SENEL
Marmara University
Department of Political Science and International Relations
Kuyubasi-Göztepe/ ISTANBUL Tel: + 90 216 336 28 09 - 119
Fax: + 90 216 338 99 42
E-Posta: msenel@marmara. edu.tr
http://iibf. marmara.edu. tr/psir/cv/ muzaffers. html
[sursa e-nass]
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