The Possibility of European Identity

The Italian medievalist, critic, and author Umberto Eco recently shared his thoughts about European identity with The Guardian:

"The university exchange programme Erasmus is barely mentioned in the business sections of newspapers, yet Erasmus has created the first generation of young Europeans. I call it a sexual revolution: a young Catalan man meets a Flemish girl – they fall in love, they get married and they become European, as do their children. The Erasmus idea should be compulsory – not just for students, but also for taxi drivers, plumbers and other workers. By this, I mean they need to spend time in other countries within the European Union; they should integrate."

His words ring true. This is the sort of milieu I frequent. At the parties I attend, I can easily find young citizens of at least four or five different countries. Their horizon is not limited to their own language or their own culture. They would feel constrained if limited to only the cultural objects and people of their own country.

When I studied in Limoges, it was much the same thing. The Erasmus dynamic is unlike almost anything else, a sentiment best captured in the 2002 film L'auberge espagnole. It's an identity practicing Christians and Muslims didn't feel entirely comfortable in for reasons having to do with sex and alcohol. But there was a unity and a shared identity that could be observed there.

The Spanish and Italians shared a special connection. After a few months together, they could easily speak the other language. And the French and the Germans had a love-hate sort of relationship. The Germans were more knowledgeable about French culture and language than the French were about the Germans, but they were also constantly reminded of things they liked better on the other side of the Rhine. In the end, whatever dissensions or discomforts existed, they paled in comparison to the wars that raged between their two countries for the hundreds of years leading up to a generation or two ago.

While I find Eco accurate in his analysis of the problem of European identity, I have to wonder how feasible his solution really is. There is less money to go around these days and less enthusiasm for the European project. The French have turned inwards, as can be seen by the popularity of the anti-Europe Marine Le Pen. A true European identity isn't a pipe dream, but it also doesn't seem quickly forthcoming.