NATIONAL IDENTITY VS. EUROPEAN IDENTITY: PARTNERS OR RIVALS

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze whether the European identity can be equated with the national
identity. The authors make an attempt to define the European identity through the markers of
national identity given by the famous theorist and researcher of national identity Anthony
Smith. The paper presents an overview of the theory of the national identity from Anthony
Smith and the standpoints of the most relevant authors and theorists in the field of European
identity. The authors of the paper come to a conclusion that: the European identity can’t be
theorized with the national identity definitions and that the existence of national identity is
not an obstacle for the formation of the European supranational identity.