Political Symbolism and European Integration

This pioneering study investigates how the European Union has tried to attract popular support through the invention of political symbols and rituals--from the attempted "correction" of history textbooks and a "European dimension" in national school curricula and audiovisual productions--to the European flag and anthem. Informed by social constructivist theory, the book accounts for the sporadic successes of these policies but also for their frequent failures and for the resistance they sparked inside many member states