Writing Christendom in the English Renaissance: A reappraisal of Denys Hay's view of the emergence of 'Europe'

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

This volume presents selected proceedings of a conference held at St Andrews University in 2007 exploring the collective and cultural persona implied by Europe's interaction with non-Europeans. This essay, which frames an historicist introduction to the contents, argues that the hegemonic idea of Europe from its inception generated 'Otherness' within the supposed homeland geopolitical identities, using Europe's proximate neighbours to generate categories of insider difference. A comparison of essays on 'European' identity written in the 1590s and the 1950s reveals that as supposedly secular ideas of Europe emerged from medieval Christendom, and as the European economic community was formed in the cold war period, both trailed with them a freight of ideological baggage that could be used to represent diversity as alien.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationEurope and Its Others
Subtitle of host publicationEssays on Interperception and Identity
EditorsPaul Gifford, Tessa Hauswedell, Helen Chambers
Place of PublicationOxford
PublisherPeter Lang
Pages39-57
Number of pages19
Volume18
ISBN (Print)978-3-03911-968-4
Publication statusPublished - 2010

Publication series

NameCultural Identity Studies
PublisherPeter Lang
Volume18

Keywords

  • Identity
  • Europe
  • Christendom
  • EEC

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