Gregor Feindt

In Shades of Blue, Félix Krawatzek, Friedemann Pestel, Rieke Trimçev, and Gregor Feindt investigate the political project of "Europe" as it oscillates between the extremes of expectations of an ever-wider integration and fear of disintegration. The authors interrogate and chart the space between these polarities by tracking the many competing conceptions of Europe in European public discourse and relate these meanings to national, regional, and ideological divisions. Based on qualitative discourse analyses of newspaper articles from six European Union member states between 2004 and 2023, Shades of Blue shifts how we think about Europe's integration and disintegration and offers a new perspective on Europeanization. With twelve debates chronicling Europe's past and discussing the implications for Europe's future, these authors uncover how politicians, intellectuals, and journalists negotiate European senses of belonging. Shades of Blue moves beyond the binaries of hope and despair to uncover a more nuanced picture of Europe.

Auch im ausgehenden Sozialismus war die Nation die entscheidende Vorstellung sozialer Ordnung in Ostmitteleuropa. In der Untergrundliteratur des Samizdat suchten Oppositionelle in Polen, der Tschechoslowakei und Ungarn anhand dieses Begriffs nach Konzepten politischer Gemeinschaft. Dabei knupften sie an ihre Kernthemen wie Freiheit und Menschenrechte an und entwickelten so uber weltanschauliche Gegensatze eine spezifische, oppositionelle Nation."