Landscape, Heritage and National Identity in Modern Europe

Download Landscape, Heritage and National Identity in Modern Europe PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3031095367
Total Pages : 102 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (31 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Landscape, Heritage and National Identity in Modern Europe by : Hans Renes

Download or read book Landscape, Heritage and National Identity in Modern Europe written by Hans Renes and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-10-06 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes the way in which landscape and landscape heritage have been – and still are – used to define national identities. It shows how national narratives use different types of landscapes. Some nations use nature as their main point of reference, partly to circumcise conflicts between different ethnic groups. Other nations use agrarian landscapes, that are often describes as timeless and ‘rooted’. Again other nations use history as a major sources for defining identities. In these cases, myths of origins, ‘Golden Ages’ or wars and conflicts deliver the materials for national narratives. The final section describes how nation states developed new urban as well as rural landscapes as national showpieces. As landscapes are an important but under-researched aspect of nation-building, this book fills a gap in the study of nationalism.

Storied Ground

Download Storied Ground PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108424732
Total Pages : 355 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (84 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Storied Ground by : Paul Readman

Download or read book Storied Ground written by Paul Readman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018-02-22 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The relationship between landscape and identity is explored to reveal how Englishness encompasses the urban and rural, and the north and south.

Imagining the Nation in Nature

Download Imagining the Nation in Nature PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674040074
Total Pages : 343 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (74 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Imagining the Nation in Nature by : Thomas M. LEKAN

Download or read book Imagining the Nation in Nature written by Thomas M. LEKAN and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-30 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the most powerful nationalist ideas in modern Europe is the assertion that there is a link between people and their landscape. Focusing on the heart of German romanticism, the Rhineland, Thomas Lekan examines nature protection activities from Wilhelmine Germany through the end of the Nazi era to illuminate the relationship between environmental reform and the cultural construction of national identity. In the late nineteenth century, anxieties about national character infused ecological concerns about industrialization, spurring landscape preservationists to protect the natural environment. In the Rhineland's scenic rivers, forests, and natural landmarks, they saw Germany as a timeless and organic nation rather than a recently patchworked political construct. Landscape preservation also served conservative social ends during a period of rapid modernization, as outdoor pursuits were promoted to redirect class-conscious factory workers and unruly youth from "crass materialism" to the German homeland. Lekan's examination of Nazi environmental policy challenges recent work on the "green" Nazis by showing that the Third Reich systematically subordinated environmental concerns to war mobilization and racial hygiene. This book is an original contribution not only to studies of national identity in modern Germany but also to the growing field of European environmental history. Table of Contents: Introduction 1. Nature's Homelands: The Origins of Landscape Preservation, 1885-1914 2. The Militarization of Nature and Heimat, 1914-1923 3. The Landscape of Modernity in theWeimar Era 4. From Landscape to Lebensraum: Race and Environment under Nazism 5. Constructing Nature in the Third Reich Conclusion Abbreviations Notes Sources Acknowledgments Index Writing squarely within the idiom of the 'invented tradition' and the 'imagined nation,' Thomas Lekan argues that in the wake of belated unification and at a time of rapid industrialization, the German landscape came to be seen as a touchstone of national identity. He questions the idea that those engaged in landscape preservation were simply 'antimodern,' and he challenges both scholars who have seen a straightforward continuity from pre-1933 preservationist sentiment to Nazism and those who have made exaggerated claims for the Third Reich as the progenitor of modern green politics. This is a welcome contribution to the literature on local and national identity, joining works by Celia Applegate and Alon Confino, and on the environmental history of modern Germany. Both scholarly and original, Imagining the Nation in Nature is an impressive achievement. --David Blackbourn, Harvard University This important and timely book contributes to our understanding of German identity as well as to modern concepts of environmentalism and nature. Lekan's valuable contribution elucidates the modern, technocratic, and therapeutic vision of preservation that linked Weimar and the Third Reich. His analysis of Nazi bio-nature is significant and thought-provoking. --Alon Confino, University of Virginia

Landscapes, Identities and Development

Download Landscapes, Identities and Development PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351923447
Total Pages : 343 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (519 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Landscapes, Identities and Development by : Zoran Roca

Download or read book Landscapes, Identities and Development written by Zoran Roca and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-12-05 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bringing together theoretical and empirical research from 22 countries in Europe, North America, Australia, South America and Japan, this book offers a state-of-the-art survey of conceptual and methodological research and planning issues relating to landscape, heritage, [and] development. It has 30 chapters grouped in four main thematic sections: landscapes as a constitutive dimension of territorial identities; landscape history and landscape heritage; landscapes as development assets and resources; and landscape research and development planning. The contributors are scholars from a wide range of cultural and professional backgrounds, experienced in fundamental and applied research, planning and policy design. They were invited by the co-editors to write chapters for this book on the basis of the theoretical frameworks, case-study research findings and related policy concerns they presented at the 23rd Session of PECSRL - The Permanent European Conference for the Study of the Rural Landscape, organized by TERCUD - Territory, Culture and Development Research Centre, Universidade Lusófona, in Lisbon and Óbidos, Portugal, 1 - 5 September 2008. With such broad inter-disciplinary relevance and international scope, this book provides a valuable overview, highlighting recent findings and interpretations on historical, current and prospective linkages between changing landscapes and natural, economic, cultural and other identity features of places and regions; landscape-related identities as local and regional development assets and resources in the era of globalized economy and culture; the role of landscape history and heritage as platforms of landscape research and management in European contexts, including the implementation of The European Landscape Convention; and, the strengthening of the landscape perspective as a constitutive element of sustainable development.

Resource Communities

Download Resource Communities PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000987523
Total Pages : 172 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (9 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Resource Communities by : Kristof Van Assche

Download or read book Resource Communities written by Kristof Van Assche and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-10-26 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides an innovative approach to understanding the governance of resource communities, by showcasing how the past and present informs the future. Resource communities have complicated relationships with the past, and this makes their relationship with the future, and the future itself, also complicated. The book digs deeply into the myriad legacies left by a history of resource extraction in a community and makes use of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspectives to understand the complex issues being faced by a range of different communities that are reliant on different types of resources across the world. From coal and gold mining, to fishing towns and logging communities, the book explores the legacies of boom and bust economies, social memory, trauma and identity, the interactions between power and knowledge and the implications for adaptive governance. Balancing conceptual and theoretical understandings with empirical and practical knowledge of resource communities, natural resource use and social-ecological relationships, the book argues that solutions for individual communities need to be embraced in the community and not just in the perspectives of visiting experts. Linking the past, present and futures of resource communities in a new way, the book concludes by providing practical recommendations for breaking open dependencies on the past, including deepening awareness of the social, economic and environmental contexts, establishing strong governance and developing community strategies, plans and policies for the future. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of natural resource governance and management, extractive industries, environmental policy, community planning and development, environmental geography and sustainable development, as well as policymakers involved in supporting community development in natural resource-dependent communities across the world.

Place and Politics in Modern Italy

Download Place and Politics in Modern Italy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226010511
Total Pages : 316 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (26 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Place and Politics in Modern Italy by : John A. Agnew

Download or read book Place and Politics in Modern Italy written by John A. Agnew and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2002-10 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do the places where people live help structure and restructure their sociopolitical identities and interests? In this book, renowned political geographer John A. Agnew presents a theoretical model that addresses the relation of place to politics and applies it to a series of historicogeographical case studies set in modern Italy. For Agnew, place is not just a static backdrop against which events occur, but a dynamic component of social, economic, and political processes. He shows, for instance, how the lack of a common "landscape ideal" or physical image of Italy delayed the development of a sense of nationhood among Italians after unification. And Agnew uses the post-1992 victory of the Northern League over the Christian Democrats in many parts of northern Italy to explore how parties are replaced geographically during periods of intense political change. Providing a fresh new approach to studying the role of space and place in social change, Place and Politics in Modern Italy will interest geographers, political scientists, and social theorists.

Cultural Territorial Systems

Download Cultural Territorial Systems PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319207539
Total Pages : 386 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (192 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Cultural Territorial Systems by : Francesco Rotondo

Download or read book Cultural Territorial Systems written by Francesco Rotondo and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-04-19 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book seeks to enhance the cultural dimension of sustainable development and particularly focuses on minor historic centers and their natural and rural landscapes. In a society becoming ever more globalized, without territorial restrictions in the production of goods and able to reproduce in China the goods and product characteristic of South American crafts (to mention just two extremes), the only element that can still be contextualized is heritage identity: the result of close integration between cultural assets, intangible assets and settled communities. Thus, heritage identity is one of the few elements, together with natural resources, which has the potential for economic development that is still firmly rooted in places and local populations. These towns are often the centerpiece of urban landscapes and geographical areas with original features, not always but often as individual places within networks of minor historical centers linked by shared history, traditions and/or natural elements (rivers, forests, river systems or other natural elements). They are outside the major tourist networks, even if now there is a budding interest in the touristic exploitation of these environments. So, they are the right places to pursue a sustainable and local development with a cultural perspective. This book is a product of the VIVA_EASTPART project (Valorisation and Improving of management of Small Historic Centres in the eastern PARTnership region), under the EU-funded “ENPI Eastern Partnership” program. It complements the more practically-focused work that is in production from this group, more focused on empirical approaches to the development of minor historic centers of the nations involved. Though the book has been influenced by this research and working experience, the authors are solely responsible for the content and opinions presented.

(Re)Visualizing National History

Download (Re)Visualizing National History PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Toronto Press
ISBN 13 : 1442691506
Total Pages : 241 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (426 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis (Re)Visualizing National History by : Robin Ostow

Download or read book (Re)Visualizing National History written by Robin Ostow and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2008-03-29 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ideas regarding the role of the museum have become increasingly contentious. In the last fifteen years, scholars have pointed to ways in which states (especially imperialist states) use museums to showcase looted artefacts, to document their geographic expansion, to present themselves as the guardians of national treasure, and to educate citizens and subjects. At the same time, a great deal of attention has been paid to reshaping national histories and values in the wake of the collapse of the Communist bloc and the emergence of the European Union. (Re)Visualizing National History considers the wave of monument and museum building in Europe as part of an attempt to forge consensus in politically unified but deeply divided nations. This collection explores ways in which museums exhibit emerging national values and how the establishment of these new museums (and new exhibits in older museums) reflects the search for a consensus among different generational groups in Europe and North America. The contributors come from a variety of countries and academic backgrounds, and speak from such varied perspectives as cultural studies, history, anthropology, sociology, and museum studies. (Re)Visualizing National History is a unique and interdisciplinary volume that offers insights on the dilemmas of present-day European culture, manifestations of nationalism in Europe, and the debates surrounding museums as sites for the representation of politics and history.

Heritage, Ideology, and Identity in Central and Eastern Europe

Download Heritage, Ideology, and Identity in Central and Eastern Europe PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Boydell Press
ISBN 13 : 1843837064
Total Pages : 218 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (438 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Heritage, Ideology, and Identity in Central and Eastern Europe by : Matthew Rampley

Download or read book Heritage, Ideology, and Identity in Central and Eastern Europe written by Matthew Rampley and published by Boydell Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essays looking at heritage practices and the construction of the past, along with how they can be used to build a national identity. The preservation of architectural monuments has played a key role in the formation of national identities from the nineteenth century to the present. The task of maintaining the collective memories and ideas of a shared heritage often focused on the historic built environment as the most visible sign of a link with the past. The meaning of such monuments and sites has, however, often been the subject of keen dispute: whose heritage is being commemorated, by whom and for whom? The answers to such questions are not always straightforward, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, the recent history of which has been characterized by territorial disputes, the large-scale movement of peoples, and cultural dispossession. This volume considers the dilemmas presented by the recent and complex histories of European states such as Germany, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. Examining the effect ofthe destruction of buildings by war, the loss of territories, or the "unwanted" built heritage of the Communist and Nazi regimes, the contributors examine how architectural and urban sites have been created, destroyed, or transformed, in the attempt to make visible a national heritage. Matthew Rampley is Professor of History of Art at the University of Birmingham. Contributors: Matthew Rampley, Juliet Kinchin, Paul Stirton, SusanneJaeger, Arnold Bartetzky, Jacek Friedrich, Tania Vladova, George Karatzas, Riitta Oittinen

National Identity, Popular Culture and Everyday Life

Download National Identity, Popular Culture and Everyday Life PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 100018935X
Total Pages : 219 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (1 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis National Identity, Popular Culture and Everyday Life by : Tim Edensor

Download or read book National Identity, Popular Culture and Everyday Life written by Tim Edensor and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-06-15 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Millennium Dome, Braveheart and Rolls Royce cars. How do cultural icons reproduce and transform a sense of national identity? How does national identity vary across time and space, how is it contested, and what has been the impact of globalization upon national identity and culture?This book examines how national identity is represented, performed, spatialized and materialized through popular culture and in everyday life. National identity is revealed to be inherent in the things we often take for granted - from landscapes and eating habits, to tourism, cinema and music. Our specific experience of car ownership and motoring can enhance a sense of belonging, whilst Hollywood blockbusters and national exhibitions provide contexts for the ongoing, and often contested, process of national identity formation. These and a wealth of other cultural forms and practices are explored, with examples drawn from Scotland, the UK as a whole, India and Mauritius. This book addresses the considerable neglect of popular cultures in recent studies of nationalism and contributes to debates on the relationship between ‘high' and ‘low' culture.

Storied Ground

Download Storied Ground PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108575811
Total Pages : 355 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (85 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Storied Ground by : Paul Readman

Download or read book Storied Ground written by Paul Readman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018-02-22 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: People have always attached meaning to the landscape that surrounds them. In Storied Ground Paul Readman uncovers why landscape matters so much to the English people, exploring its particular importance in shaping English national identity amid the transformations of modernity. The book takes us from the fells of the Lake District to the uplands of Northumberland; from the streetscapes of industrial Manchester to the heart of London. This panoramic journey reveals the significance, not only of the physical characteristics of landscapes, but also of the sense of the past, collective memories and cultural traditions that give these places their meaning. Between the late eighteenth and early twentieth centuries, Englishness extended far beyond the pastoral idyll of chocolate-box thatched cottages, waving fields of corn and quaint country churches. It was found in diverse locations - urban as well as rural, north as well as south - and it took strikingly diverse forms.

Regionalism and Modern Europe

Download Regionalism and Modern Europe PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1474275214
Total Pages : 384 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (742 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Regionalism and Modern Europe by : Xosé M. Núñez Seixas

Download or read book Regionalism and Modern Europe written by Xosé M. Núñez Seixas and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-12-13 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Providing a valuable overview of regionalism throughout the entire continent, Regionalism in Modern Europe combines both geographical and thematic approaches to examine the origins and development of regional movements and identities in Europe from 1890 to the present. A wide range of internationally renowned scholars from the USA, the UK and mainland Europe are brought together here in one volume to examine the historical roots of the current regional movements, and to explain why some of them - Scotland, Catalonia and Flanders, among others – evolve into nationalist movements and even strive for independence, while others – Brittany, Bavaria – do not. They look at how regional identities - through regional folklore, language, crafts, dishes, beverages and tourist attractions - were constructed during the 20th century and explore the relationship between national and subnational identities, as well as regional and local identities. The book also includes 7 images, 7 maps and useful end-of-chapter further reading lists. This is a crucial text for anyone keen to know more about the history of the topical – and at times controversial – subject of regionalism in modern Europe.

Landscape and History since 1500

Download Landscape and History since 1500 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Reaktion Books
ISBN 13 : 1861894538
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (618 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Landscape and History since 1500 by : Ian D. Whyte

Download or read book Landscape and History since 1500 written by Ian D. Whyte and published by Reaktion Books. This book was released on 2004-03-03 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Landscape and History explores a complex relationship over the past five centuries. The book is international and interdisciplinary in scope, drawing on material from social, economic and cultural history as well as from geography, archaeology, cultural geography, planning and landscape history. In recent years, as the author points out, there has been increasing interest in, and concern for, many aspects of landscape within British, European and wider contexts. This has included the study of the history, development and changes in our perception of landscape, as well as research into the links between past landscapes and political ideologies, economic and social structures, cartography, art and literature. There is also considerable concern at present with the need to evaluate and classify historic landscapes, and to develop policies for their conservation and management in relation to their scenic, heritage and recreational value. This is manifest not only in the designation of particularly valued areas with enhanced protection from planning developments, such as national parks and world heritage sites, but in the countryside more generally. Further, Ian D. Whyte argues, changes in European Union policies relating to agriculture, with a greater concern for the protection and sustainable management of rural landscapes, are likely to be of major importance in relation to the themes of continuity and change in the landscapes of Britain and Europe.

Heritage and Identity

Download Heritage and Identity PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317742257
Total Pages : 353 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (177 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Heritage and Identity by : J.M. Fladmark

Download or read book Heritage and Identity written by J.M. Fladmark and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-11-17 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Was the shaping of nation states in Northern Europe governed by military might, or by Christian and democratic ideals? How has trade and cross-cultural exchange between Scandinavia and the British Isles shaped our historic identities, and what about the impact of global politics and marketing in recent times? These are some of the questions explored by the contributors in the context of forces that shape national identities today. Their analysis highlights the need for historical awareness when developing future cultural policy, brand profiles and marketing strategies. Looking back, Jesse Byock tells how democracy was first embraced in the north by the early settlers of Iceland, Bjorn Myhre delves into the unpredictability of historical interpretation, Edward Cowan discusses the role of 'battles and beddings' in relations across the North Sea, John Purkis writes about William Morris' fascination with Nordic culture, Stephen Harrison presents the 'winning ways' of product development and marketing by Manx National Heritage, whilst Chris Powell looks at 'Cool Britannia' today and Simon Anholt at national branding strategies. This is an inspirational book that sheds new light on old subjects, equally relevant for both public and private sector policy makers alike.

A European Geography

Download A European Geography PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317886194
Total Pages : 406 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (178 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis A European Geography by : Tim Unwin

Download or read book A European Geography written by Tim Unwin and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-29 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A European Geography provides a geographical interpretation and exposition of the whole of Europe. Beginning with a historical and envronmental introduction, the text covers the cultural identity, political structure, economic organisation and social context of Europe, examining the complex issues that are shaping the characteristics and meaning of contemporary Europe. More than fifty contributors are drawn from Europe and North America, contributing a wealth of research expertise in their specialist subject areas. Detailed case studies provide empirical examples of the broader research themes examined. A European Geography is written for undergraduate students taking courses on Europe, Regional Geography, European Studies, and European Integration. It will provide valuable reading for anyone interested in developing a detailed understanding of the processes shaping contemporary Europe.

The Cultural Landscape & Heritage Paradox

Download The Cultural Landscape & Heritage Paradox PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Amsterdam University Press
ISBN 13 : 9089641556
Total Pages : 753 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (896 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Cultural Landscape & Heritage Paradox by : Tom Bloemers

Download or read book The Cultural Landscape & Heritage Paradox written by Tom Bloemers and published by Amsterdam University Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 753 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The basic problem is to what extent we can know past and mainly invisible landscapes, and how we can use this still hidden knowledge for actual sustainable management of landscape's cultural and historical values. It has also been acknowledged that heritage management is increasingly about 'the management of future change rather than simply protection'. This presents us with a paradox: to preserve our historic environment, we have to collaborate with those who wish to transform it and, in order to apply our expert knowledge, we have to make it suitable for policy and society. The answer presented by the Protection and Development of the Dutch Archaeological-Historical Landscape programme (pdl/bbo) is an integrative landscape approach which applies inter- and transdisciplinarity, establishing links between archaeological-historical heritage and planning, and between research and policy.

National Thought in Europe

Download National Thought in Europe PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Amsterdam University Press
ISBN 13 : 9053569561
Total Pages : 313 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (535 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis National Thought in Europe by : Joseph Theodoor Leerssen

Download or read book National Thought in Europe written by Joseph Theodoor Leerssen and published by Amsterdam University Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ranging widely across countries and centuries, National Thought in Europe critically analyzes the growth of nationalism from its beginnings in medieval ethnic prejudice to the romantic era’s belief in a national soul. A fertile pan-European exchange of ideas, often rooted in literature, led to a notion of a nation’s cultural individuality that transformed the map of Europe. By looking deeply at the cultural contexts of nationalism, Joep Leerssen not only helps readers understand the continent’s past, but he also provides a surprising perspective on contemporary European identity politics.