The European Union's identity-building project, and the impact on the Romanian national identity

Abstract: The research brings up the ongoing debate on how globalization causes increased tension between the Global and Local identity formations. The local identity formations are challenged, and potentially diminishing in the presence of homogenized identities. Suprnationalites, are likewise questioned if they are excluding national identity formations. The European identity building project has the goal of strengthening a European identity, which has previously been at the cost of the Romanian Other, excluding their own narrative of a national identity. The research has looked into if the Romanian national identity is portrayed as the Other in relation to the European Us, and exclude their narrative. This was done by looking at the European Solidarity Corps, who talk of a European identity, and the experience of Romanian participants. A series of five in-depth interviews were conducted with Romanians who participated in the European Solidarity Corps, or its predecessor The European Voluntary Service. The research asked if the European identity building project in ESC is excluding those identified with a Romanian nationality from being European. Theories of how identities are constructed by a system of oppositional Others, in relation to the Self, was used to categorize the given identities. The research also made use of theories questioning the dichotomy of the Self/Other, and looked at how belonging can be experienced both within the Self, and Other. The results displayed that the European identity building project emphasized the Romanian Other, while associating them within the European Us. Stereotypes about the Romanian Other were both emphasized, and decreased. The Romanian nationality was therefore, both a part of being European, and outside.