Historical Evolution of Regionalizing Identities in Europe

This book adopts a multidisciplinary and novel approach to the historical evolution of identities in Europe – identities connected with regions as a multi-layered and processual key concept in dialogue and/or conflict with the emerging nation-state. In the book, historical disciplines meet with anthropology, human ge-ography and cultural studies to discuss how regional identities of various kinds were created, challenged and redefined; how they were experienced and expressed and to what extent they produced feelings of attachment.
Spatial, social, cultural and political manifestations of identities in Europe are historical phenomena. Their changes and forms help us understand the essential traits of European societies, in-cluding the development of differences and similarities, degrees of attachment and dynamics of physical and mental borders. Drawing on a wide range of sources – from historiography to in-terviews, hagiographical texts, images and songs – expressing evolving identities, this book presents an innovative approach to understanding identity formation in Europe.

The four editors were project leaders for 3 international collaborative projects constituting the EuroCORECODE programme of the European Science Foundation, 2011–2014.

Dick E.H. De Boer was the architect of the EuroCORECODE programme and projectleader of Cuius regio comparing the historical development of nine regions of different size, geo-physical condition, socio-cultural composition, and political fate in medieval and early modern Europe.
Nils Holger Petersen was the leader of CultSymbols focusing on the role of the devotion and veneration of saints as a vehicle to study collective identities, including also their receptions into the modern arts as expressions of group identities.
Bas Spierings and Martin Van der Velde were the leaders of Unfamiliarity, studying changing European crossborder experiences, including how such experiences influence contemporary cross-border behaviour.