ENRI-East project goals / objectives

In this project we aim to galvanise three perspectives on the dynamic relationships between identities and state restructuring. Those three perspectives are the restructuring of the nation-state, the increasing self legitimisation of states (rearrangement of the relationship between state and society) and observation of emerging identities at different levels (supra-national, sub-national and global), and their complex relationships on the level of individual and group experiences and practices.

We want

  • to explore the ways in which identities are building up and negotiated through individual and group narratives and practices within an increasingly complex set of institutional arrangements.
  • to explore the interrelation between individual and group identities and institutional frameworks.

When it comes to theory-building, the aims of this project are:

  • To make inroads in conceptualizing different identity regimes.
  • To re-examine the ways in which the dominant form in which identity and sovereignty blend continues to be significant.
  • To understand the diverse set of nested and interlocking institutional, historical and cultural frameworks within which different European identities are constantly negotiated and reshaped.

In a nutshell:

  • The Main goal of the ENRI-East project is to develop an in-depth understanding of the ways in which the modern European identities and regional cultures are formed and how these are inter-communicated in the Eastern part of the European continent.
  • The Main objects of the study are approximately ten ethnic groups representing “split nations” along the new Eastern borders of the enlarged European Union.
  • The Main method of the study is the triangulation of theories of identities and empirical “facts of life” through the analytical efforts of ENRI-East experts. Their task would then be the verification and adjustment of existing theories of identity formation based on the outcomes of a series of specially designed quantitative and qualitative sociological surveys and systematic observations.
  • The project is an inter-disciplinary effort (sociology, political science, history, ethnography) and its methodological thrust comprises theoretical, empirical and comparative aspects.