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Uses of the Other "The East" in European Identity Formation Iver B. Neumann |
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Examines identity politics in the context of international relations. The field of international relations has recently witnessed a tremendous growth of interest in the theme of identity and its formation, construction, and deconstruction. In Uses of the Other, Iver B. Neumann demonstrates how thinking about identity in terms of the self and other may prove highly useful in the study of world politics. Neumann begins by tracing the four different paths along which this thinking has developed during this century—ethnographic, psychological, Continental philosophical, and "Eastern excursion"—and he shows how these blended at the margins of the discipline of international relations at the end of the 1980s. There follow several incisive readings of European identity formations on the all-European, regional, and national levels. The theme that draws these readings together is how "the East" is used as a sign of otherness at all three levels. Whereas previous studies framed this process as part of colonial and postcolonial developments, this book suggests that "Easternness" is also present as a marker in contemporary discourses about Russia, Turkey, Central Europe, and Bashkortostan, among others. Situating his work in contemporary critical debates, Neumann argues that, while the self/other perspective is always of relevance, it is now more in need of being used as a perspective on specific sequences of identity formation than of further embellishment. "The book is an analysis of how the various identities subsumed under the category of 'the East' have been crucial for European identity formation since Europe began to gain political significance. A very interesting read." —Millennium: Journal of International Studies "Neumann's work is significant for several reasons, especially the innovative use of a dialogical approach, the variety of source materials, and the wide range of case studies. Uses of the Other furthers our understanding of identity formation in general and European identity formation in particular." —Ethics and International Affairs "Neumann points out controversies, raises innovative questions and masterfully challenges conventional views, and it is precisely here that one finds the main contributions of this book. Uses of the Other points to an unexplored territory in the study of world politics and opens up room for innovation in this discipline." —Slovak Foreign Policy News Iver B. Neumann is head of the Russian Research Centre, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. 248 pages | 5 7/8 x 9 | 1998 |
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$24.50 Paper