Can Turkey be assimilated into European identity?

Turkey and the European Union (EU) have been engaged in dialogue in respect of Turkey's prospective membership of the EU for over 50 years. However, in light of a recent enlargement encompassing Central Eastern European Countries (CEECs), further questions have been raised as to whether or not a European identity exists and if it can extend to future enlargements. This therefore brings the definition of European identity to the fore.In order to appraise European identity in the context of Turkish accession to the EU, it is imperative that this thesis assesses whether a European identity exists and what this may be. Without this understanding this thesis would be unable to understand whether or not Turkey can be assimilated into European identity. It is also important to understand when European identity became a feature of the EU. This thesis must question how, if at all, a European identity was constructed and assess the mechanisms, in particular European citizenship, that the EU has introduced in order to foster a sense of European identity.This thesis concludes that the unique nature of the EU contributes to a weak sense of Self and when faced with the prospect of enlargements, particularly to encompass countries who are viewed as fundamentally different, any prospects of a European Self are diluted if not dissolved. Furthermore, this thesis makes the observation that successive enlargements of the EU create a distinctive scale of identity.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

mphil

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

masters-pg

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Strathclyde

Year dc:date.issued

2016

Author dc:creator

• Cosgrove, Hannah Louise

DOI

10.48730/wfjf-hw23

Identifier

T14360

Author Identifier

201175449

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:strathclyde:1v53jx07z