The book addresses contemporary developments in European identity politics as part of a larger historical trajectory of a common European identity based on the idea of 'solidarity'. The authors explain the special sense in which Europeans perceive their obligations to their less fortunate compatriots, to the new East European members, and to the world at large. An understanding of this notion of 'solidarity' is critical to understanding the specific European commitment to social justice and equality. The specificity of this term helps to distinguish between what the Germans call "social...

During the ongoing process of European integration in 1957, Western European societies have undergone a rapid process of secularization. The eastward expansion of the European Union and the drafting of a European constitution, however, have triggered fundamental questions concerning the role of Christianity in European identity. The most anxiety-producing issues are the potential integration of Turkey and the non-European immigrants, who in most European countries are overwhelmingly Muslim.

The articles in this volume deal with the role of Christianity in the definition of European identity. Europeans often identify advanced civilizations with secularity. But religion is very much alive in other fast developing countries of the world. In Europe, nevertheless, the organized churches very much wanted to stress the Christian character of European identity, and this engendered a lively protest focusing on the perceived threat to the secular European tradition. Also, Europe is facing its greatest cultural challenge in the demand of Turkey to be admitted as a member, and in the demand...