Csilla Dömők Europe – History of Unity and Identity

About this book

“United in diversity”, “Unie dans la diversité” – this is the official motto of the European Union. It almost seems self-evident, as this statement has been part of the European discourse for decades.

The nation state continues to provide the model for “unity”, the dimensions of which are determined by national territory, constitution, politics, culture and society, and to a lesser extent also by the economy, national citizenship and, with significantly reduced weight in the present day, the majority religion or denomination.

This type of unity occurs in many forms in Europe; there is diversity in this regard, but it inevitably conflicts with every other concept of unity. The situation is not new, but has characterised Europe for centuries. “Unity” and “diversity” not only present a constant dilemma, but are also the main characters in an eternal drama of European history. For centuries, preference was given to the ideal of unity, without it ever becoming a reality.

Csilla Dömők graduated in 1994 from the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Pécs, where she studied German language and literature and history. In 2011, she earned her Ph.D. in political science from Corvinus University of Budapest. In 2018, she completed her habilitation, also in Political science, at the Interdisciplinary Doktoral School of the University of Pécs. She currently works as an associate professor with a habilitation at the Department of German Studies at the University of Pécs. Her research interests include minority rights and their history, international relations, network of relations, the history of the EU and Central and Eastern Europe, and the history of European integration.