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The Myths of Europe: Legitimacy, Community and the ‘Crisis’ of the EU

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  • Lene Hansen
  • Michael C. Williams

Abstract

The current debate over the ‘crisis’ of the EU has often been linked with criticisms of functionalism. From both a liberal‐political and a romantic position, functionalism has been charged with paying inadequate attention to questions of legitimacy and identity ‐ and particularly to the importance of myth ‐ in political community. For the romantic position, the functionalist project could succeed so long it did not enter the realm of national myths. For liberals, it can succeed only if supplemented by a European myth. Each holds in common, however, the belief that myth was missing from the integration process so far and that the key question involves myth’s relation to functionalism. This article argues that, rather than eliding mythic elements, functionalism actually draws powerfully upon modernist myths of rationalization, and that coming to terms more fully with this mythic structure is essential in assessing questions of the EU’s legitimacy and its ‘crisis’.

Suggested Citation

  • Lene Hansen & Michael C. Williams, 1999. "The Myths of Europe: Legitimacy, Community and the ‘Crisis’ of the EU," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(2), pages 233-249, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:37:y:1999:i:2:p:233-249
    DOI: 10.1111/1468-5965.00161
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    Cited by:

    1. Natalie Welfens & Saskia Bonjour, 2023. "Seeking Legitimacy Through Knowledge Production: The Politics of Monitoring and Evaluation of the EU Trust Fund for Africa," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(4), pages 951-969, July.
    2. repec:bla:jcmkts:v:48:y:2010:i::p:1-19 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. repec:bla:jcmkts:v:48:y:2010:i::p:579-616 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. repec:bla:jcmkts:v:48:y:2010:i::p:133-154 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Christoffer Kølvraa, 2016. "European Fantasies: On the EU's Political Myths and the Affective Potential of Utopian Imaginaries for European Identity," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(1), pages 169-184, January.

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