Septembre 2014
Dans L’Espace géographique
Éditeur : Editions Belin – Volume 43 Numéro 2014/3 – Pages 240 – 250 p. – ISSN 00462497
This paper examines the concept that the nation-state is a territorial myth of European construction. The nationstate is a central concept in the narrative of European integration. It is perceived as having a mythical function. However, this conceals the fact that the European Union is first and foremost a spatial odyssey. Its foundation is based on circulation and mobility, focusing on shared sovereignty and territory. In theory, the ingredients of this very new European experiment consist of a wide geo-historical range of both sovereignty and territorial categories. Equating European identity with the nation-state is an obstacle to the acknowledgement of this experiment. Demystifying the place in Europe held by the nation-state as a political territory may contribute to our understanding of what Europeans are in the process of building for their future.