Turkey and the European Union : the question of European identity / Selcen Öner..

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Construction of the idea of "Europe" throughout history and the attempts for unification -- Ambiguous boundaries of Europe and the European Union -- Construction of "European identity" and its "other's" -- Social constructivism and European identity -- Comparison between social constructivism and essentialism in terms of analysing European identity -- Analysing construction of European identity on the basis of social constructivism -- "European identity" and "EU identity" -- And cultural European identity -- The construction process of European identity within the European Union -- The role of the political elites in construction of European identity -- The role of the institutions of the European Union in construction of European identity -- The gap between the elites and the general public -- The interactions between Turks and Europe -- The role of European identity in Turkey-EU relations.

The comparison between the membership of Turkey and the Central and Eastern European countries -- The perceptions of the elites of the European Union about Turkey's membership in terms of European identity -- Public opinions in the member states of the European Union about Turkey's membership -- Discussions on Turkey's membership in terms of compatibility of Islam and European identity -- The influnce of the interactions between Turkey and the European Union on the construction of European identity.