Культура и национальное самосознание Европы. Практикум на английском языке

6.Look at the input on EU legal migration measures and answer the question below:

In order to reduce illegal immigration UE has developed ‘mobility partnerships’ schemes with countries such as Georgia, Cape Verde and Moldova. The basic idea is to get foreign governments to co-operate more closely with EU countries on preventing illegal immigration, in return for the more generous allocation of work visas to EU memberstates. These partnerships are planned to be expanded to cover areas like educational reform, mutual recognition of qualifications and diplomas, and better targeting of development aid to fund IT skills and language training.

Do you think that the schemes will work out and curb illegal immigration?

7.Read an extract below and answer the question:

Charles Clarke, former Britain’s Home Secretary, in his paper “The EU and

Migration. A call for action”, published by The Centre for European Reform, argues: “The fact of migration is not in itself the problem. It is the illegality and the ineffective systems of governance and control that accompany it – which exist across much of Europe – that create the real difficulties”.

Do you agree with this opinion? Give your reasons. 7. Test tasks:

1.Which of these EU member-states are not members of the Schengen area:

a)France

b)Italy

c)Bulgaria

d)United Kingdom

e)Ireland

f)Cyprus

g)Romania

h)Germany

2. Which countries are Schengen and European Economic Area Members although they are EU non-member-states:

a)Iceland

b)Norway

c)Switzerland

31

d)United Kingdom

e)Cyprus

3. Match the words with their definitions:

1. Frontex a) the movement of people and populations across countries and continents

b) passport-free travel zone c) the EU border agency

4.Common land border of EU countries is:

a)8,000 kilometres long

b)2,000 kilometres long

c)1,000,000 kilometres long

5.The total population of 27 EU member-states is

a)25 mln

b)50 mln

c)500 mln

6.The countries of origin for bulk of illegal immigrants to EU are:

a)Lybia

b)Morocco

c)Tunisia

d)Canary Islands

e)Iceland

f)Ireland

g)Mexico

7.The main canals of illegal immigrants to EU are:

a)Greece-Turkey border

b)Italy sea border

c)Spain sea border

d)French-German border

e)Italian-French border

Vocabulary to learn

1. to arouse smth e.g. to arouse public fears and insecurities

2.anti-immigration sentiment

3.border

32

7.to enforce / to secure / to strengthen / to cross the border

8.the EU’s borders

9.bigotry

10.to carry out improvements

11.concern

12.to cause / raise concern

13.country of origin

14.to destabilise

15.downside

16.domestic stability

17.demographic shift towards smth.

18.economic impact on smth.

19.family reunification

20.flow (of illegal migrants)

21.immigrant population

22.internal EU migration

23.to issue travel documents

24.indigenous population

25.labour market

26.law enforcement authorities

31.asylum claimant / applicant; asylum-seeker

32.people-smuggling networks

33.public anxiety over smth.

34.to penetrate; penetration

(through borders)

35.to pose a threat to (public order)

33

6.Dobson, J., Latham, A. and Salt, J., On the move? Labour migration in times of recession. What can we learn from the past? London, Policy Network Paper. 2009. <http://www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/re- search/mobility-identity-and-security/migration-research-unit/pdfs/on_- the_move.pdf>

7.Dobson, J., Child Migration in the United Kingdom. London, 2009.http://www.migrationeducation.org/fileadmin/uploads/dobson__c hild_migration_01.pdf.

Additional

1.Bryant, L. Immigration, Financial Crisis Cast Doubt on Border-Free Europe // Voice of America September 26, 2011. <http://www.voanews.com/content/immigration-financial-crisis-cast- doubt-on-border-free-europe-130645228/169310.html>.

2.Wing Commander P.E. O’Neill RAF. The European Union and Migration: Security versus Identity? //Defence Studies, September 2006. Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 322–350. <http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/- 14702430601060149>.

3.Recchi, E, Tambini, D., etc. Intra–EU Migration: A Socio– demographic Overview. PIONEUR Working Paper No. 3. July 2003. <http://www.obets.ua.es/pioneur/bajaarchivo_public.php?iden=42>.

4.Bradu, H. Saving Schengen. How to protect passport-free travel in Europe. Published by the Centre for European Reform (CER). London, January 2012. http://www.cer.org.uk/publications/archive/essay/2011/.

Internet resources

1. http://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/ – a valuable website of COMPAS – The Centre on Migration, Policy and Society, Oxford. COMPAS' 20122017 research programme is grouped around five inter-related thematic clusters, addressing elements of the migration process:

Flows and Dynamics – exploring global migration flows and the dynamics that drive, facilitate and inhibit migration

Labour markets – analysing the socio-economics of international labour migration, particularly the economics and politics of labour shortages and demand

Citizenship and Belonging – addressing the relationship between mobility, citizenship and the numerous ways in which people ‘belong’

35

Urban Change and settlement – challenging assumptions around movement and settlement patterns, investigating emergent urbanisms and processes of integration

Welfare – addressing the relationship between migration and welfare provision in ‘receiving’ and ‘sending’ countries

2.http://www.migrationinformation.org/ – a website of Migration Information Source, which is a project of the Migration Policy Institute. Migration Information Source provides fresh thought, authoritative data from numerous global organizations and governments, and global analysis of international migration and refugee trends. A unique online resource, the Source offers useful tools, vital data, and essential facts on the movement of people worldwide. Working with a team of international correspondents, they chronicle global migration movements, provide perspectives on current migration debates, and offer the tools and data from numerous global organizations and governments needed to understand migration. For a complete list of Source offerings, visit the Source Library. In Source Library browse articles by category, particularly under category Integration and Immigrants.

3.http://www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/mru – Migration Research Unit, University College London (UCL), London. Founded in 1988, the Migration Research Unit (MRU) undertakes research, teaching and consultancy on migration. The research focuses broadly on diasporas, transnationalism, asylum and refugees, national and international migration policies, measuring and mapping migration and ethnicity, theorising mobilities, development and migration. Browse sources under category Publications: Publications, Working Papers, Annual Report.

PRACTICAL # 5. Negative factors of European identity construction

Objective: to develop the ability to apply knowledge gained from Humanities, Social Studies and Economics in carrying out expert and analytical work on public opinion sentiments.

Organizational structure of the class: “round table”

36

Topics for discussion

8.Exclusiveness and “the other” as a prerequisite for identity building.

9.European anti-Americanism.

10.Islam-phobia of European identity.

11.“Russian other” in European identity.

Learning strategies

The starting point for the discussion at the “round table” is theoretical approaches to the “national identity” concept (question #1). It is advisable to revise material from practical #1. The point to focus on is key features of national identity. What are the essential elements for shaping national identity? Apart from the identifying with the ingroup with whom one shares the common language, history, culture, values, interests and ideals, national identity formation also involves differentiating from out-groups. Revise A.Smith’s definition of collective identity as positioning the "self" of a community opposed to the "others", and national identity as the "national self" opposed to "not national" or "foreign" (practical #1, question #3). Most scholars agree that there need to be Others in the process of self-identification. The role of difference in constituting collective identities has long been emphasized since Emile Durkheim, who argued that the lineation of an in-group necessarily entails delineation from an out-group. In other words, the concept of out-group plays an essential role of the “Other” in defining the collective identity. The existence of ‘us’ requires the existence of ‘them’, be it actual or imaginary, and only through the relation to an out-group other can the identity of Self be constructed. Collective identities can only be established on the mode of an us/them. That is to say, the formation of the image of a certain nation requires other nations on the other side as “looking glass”.

Taking into consideration the ultimate importance of the other in identity construction, we should explore the images of “the others” in the European consciousness. The practical will focus on the informal practices of the creation of “the other” images used by national political elites and non-political actors.

The “round table” discussion will focus on three main images of “the other”: American, Muslim and Russian. The students are supposed

37

to look into the roots and manifestations of negative sentiments of Europeans towards the above mentioned images.

Preparing for question #2 look through the news (BBC, DW online including archives), and collect facts of manifestations of antiAmerican sentiments in European countries. Analyze the causes of these sentiments. Why do nationalist or leftist parties in Europe consider American policies as threat to national identity (see JeanMarie Le Pen’ party in France)? What are their arguments? Do these arguments sound convincing to you? For deeper insight into the issue find out manifestations of anti-American sentiments in other regions, for example, the Islamic world, Latin America or Russia. How can you explain the fact that in two areas − Eastern Europe and Africa − antiAmericanism does not thrive?

Question #3 deals with Islam-phobia as a component of European identity building. To begin with, study migration trends in the European Union including a socio-demographic profile of immigrants in historical retrospective and at present. Analyze statistics depicting percentage of Muslims among immigrants and growing number of Muslims in the composition of European population. For that purpose revise material from practical #4. After that, review facts of manifestations of anti-Muslim sentiments in Western European countries. The most significant of them are “headscarf (hijab) controversy” in France followed up by bans on “head scarves and other signs of religious affiliation” in schools (in France) and on full-face veils on the streets (in France and Belgium); efforts to block the construction of mosques (throughout Europe) or just minarets (in Switzerland); campaigns to prohibit circumcision and halal food in Norway; recent statements of European political leaders (David Cameron, Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarcozy, Angela Merkel) on the limits of multiculturalism in their countries. Think over the questions below:

Can European cultures, which are historically more homogeneous, manage to accommodate social diversity successfully?

Will immigration from Muslim countries deepen cultural tensions, social instability and intra-communal conflict in Europe?

To what extent do Muslim migrants carry their culture with them? To what extent do they acquire the culture of their new home?

38

Question #4 of the practical is planned to be discussed in casestudy format. The students are supposed to examine an article from a Polish newspaper about Kalinigrad and answer the following the questions below.

What typical markers of “Russian other” are used by the author? What methods are used with the aim of opposing Europe and

Russia?

What is significance of the informal practice of building “Russian other” image in contemporary European identity?

Conclude the discussion with an answer to the following question: are the practices of building “the other” images helpful for European integration? Or do they tend to undermine European collective identity?

Assignments for control and development of competences

1. Look through the latest news using sources listed in Internet resources section and collect facts and figures illustrating the highlights of the seminar theme: anti-Americanism, Islam-phobia and

“Russian other”.

2. American political analyst Michael Radu (Foreign Policy Research Institute, USA), in his article “Make Love, Not War? AntiAmericanism and the Presidential Election” argues: “AntiAmericanism has become the only serious competitor to soccer as a global sport; in many places it has reached a level of stridency rarely seen before”. Could you give arguments for or against this statement?

3. Look at the input on Islam and European collective identity and answer the question below.

Is the idea that we are experiencing a clash of civilisations between Islam and the Christian West a myth, or does it have a basis

in reality?