What is European?
Title
What is European?
Subtitle
On Overcoming Colonial and Romantic Modes of Thought
Price
€ 17,50 excl. VAT
ISBN
9789048571277
Format
Paperback
Number of pages
128
Language
English
Publication date
Dimensions
13.5 x 21 cm
Table of Contents
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Introduction
1 Decolonisation
2 Deromanticisation
3 What is typically European?
4 Multi-ethnic cities: the Europe of the future
Notes
Acknowledgements
About the Author

Dag Nikolaus Hasse

What is European?

On Overcoming Colonial and Romantic Modes of Thought

In talking about Europe, it is common to emphasise the democratic, constitutional and peaceful values that unite Europeans. However, according to Dag Nikolaus Hasse, it is not that easy to find an essence of Europe.

In What is European? he shows that many traditional ideas about Europe are culturally one-sided and historically and geographically distorted, and calls for the discourse on Europe to be de-romanticised and de-colonised. This would better reflect Europe's eventful history and diversity and offer more people within the continent a cultural home. At the same time, colonial guilt towards other continents would be recognised, thus laying a more respectful foundation for shaping the future together. Thinking about Europe openly would mean that multiple loyalties of citizens to different groups would not endanger a state. On the contrary, according to Hasse, recognising them would, in fact, strengthen the political obligation towards the community as a whole.
Author

Dag Nikolaus Hasse

Dag Nikolaus Hasse is professor of the history of philosophy at the University of Würzburg. Among his numerous publications, two monographs stand out: Avicenna's De Anima in the Latin West (2000), and Success and Suppression: Arabic Sciences and Philosophy in the Renaissance (2016). In 2016, Hasse was awarded the prestigious Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, the highest disctinction for a scientist in Germany.