National pride and the meanings of 'Europe' : a comparative study of Britain and Spain

Abstract

This thesis has two fundamental objectives. On the one hand, at the level of theoretical generalization, it aims to make a contribution to the study of collective identities, and more specifically, of national identities within the context of European integration. On the other, at the level of empirical investigation, it aims to compare how the collective ideals, memories, and sentiments of two national communities, Britain and Spain, have conditioned the diverse symbolic representations of ‘Europe* which have emerged over the course of time in the public spheres of these two particular case-studies.