Abstract
At the beginning of the millennium, the European Union (EU) adapted the motto ‘united in diversity’ to indicate a common European goal while at the same time celebrating all cultures, traditions and languages of the member states (Kraus and Sciortino, 2013). Negotiating Gender and Diversity in an Emergent European Public Sphere cross-examines this very notion of ethno-cultural diversity from a feminist perspective. The public sphere is defined as a space where all participants aim at a common public interest over any other personal interest such as ethno-cultural interests. The book brings together a collection of 11 chapters, built upon the European research project EUROSPHERE. The overall aim of this EU-funded project was to examine factors that promote as well as prevent the construction of an inclusive European public sphere. The analyses presented also draw on other comparable sources of data, quantitative as well as qualitative that focus on gender dynamics within a multicultural context (such as the European research projects that constitute FEMCIT, the acronym used for Gendered Citizenship in Multicultural Europe: The Impact of Contemporary Women’s Movements). The findings in the book are also drawn from interviews with different political actors such as NGOs and political parties within 14 members of the EU and two European states, namely Turkey and Norway.
The book is divided into three sections. In the first part, theoretical reflections on gender, ethnicity and the public sphere are presented. The second section discusses the standpoints of different political actors on gender and diversity across the Union; and finally in the third section, communication and interaction between the European public sphere and national level public sphere are explored through the examination of gender and diversity policy implementation, practices and discourses.
The collection takes forward the findings of the EUROSPHERE project by discussing and analysing a number of aspects of feminism and multiculturalism in the EU that include discourses on gender equality, immigration issues, social cohesion and the EU’s role in dealing with multiple discriminations. The collection as a whole argues that an intersectional framework is necessary in bringing together gender and ethnic diversity for a more inclusive and just European public sphere. For instance, the book shows that while anti-discrimination and gender equality legislation is at the forefront of the EU, a conflict exists between the fight for particular group rights (i.e. campaigns against anti-racism) and individual rights (i.e. individual struggles for gender equity) (as, for example, in Chapter 10). In doing so, ‘different interests of women’ (p. 228) are undermined as their multiple axes of experiences and identities are ignored (e.g. social, ethnic and religious).
Even though the contributors look at different actors, ranging from national social movements to European institutions, there is no doubt that each chapter makes significant contributions to ongoing European debates on belonging and non-belonging. This is partly because they share important aspects of their theoretical perspectives. The chapters apply an intersectional framework in discussing issues of inclusion and exclusion in a variety of public spheres. In doing so, the book not only combines two bodies of literature (i.e. gender and diversity and migration) but also redefines the understanding of the European public sphere by including multiple actors and arenas at the national and transnational levels.
The multidisciplinary and varied substantive research expertise of the contributors is also a strong element in the book that serves to offer a unique insight into the issues of gender and diversity. For instance, while Robert Sata discusses the behaviour of political parties in relation to gender, diversity and immigration (Chapter 6), Meret and Siim analyse political parties’ ideologies on these topics (Chapter 5). This enriches the understanding of the functioning of particular actors investigated throughout the book.
Cross-national comparison is another aspect that makes this collection valuable; especially within the second part of the book. The analysis involves the comparison of three types of cases: those with a priori dissimilar political leanings (Chapters 6 and 7); those with similar political leanings (Chapter 5); and cases from different historical backgrounds (Chapters 3 and 4). For instance, in Chapter 4, Agustín and Sata (pp. 60–77), through their comparative case studies of Denmark and Hungary, shed light on discourses of gender equality which construct national and transnational identities. They argue that discourses of gender equality create spheres of exclusion for certain communities such as Muslims, who are seen as ‘non-European’ (p. 69) due to stereotypes that their practices produce gender inequality. The extensive use of this methodological approach enriches understandings of the findings on a national as well as on a wider European level. For example, while the above-mentioned chapter looks at only two countries’ construction of identity, Chapter 3 (pp. 43–59) looks at different women’s social movement organizations across Europe, thus giving the reader a more comprehensive European perspective on any given public actor’s position. However, the data mostly include discussions of Nordic and Eastern European countries. I would also have welcomed comparative data involving Western European countries for part of the analysis, such as France for its relatively different history and participation in terms of the creation of the EU.
So, what can be said about negotiating gender and diversity within the European public sphere? The overall argument is that ethno-national diversity and gender equality are of primary concern within the European public spheres. However, despite some shared common values among member states, these concepts are not all in common currency, and one important message of the book is that they must be brought together in order to respond effectively to the rights of an ever-growing and heterogeneous EU population. For example, the identity of the EU, constructed around the concept of gender equality, leads to similar policy implementation across member states. However, while gender equality is perceived as a ‘European value’ (p. 229), ethno-cultural diversity is contested. As a result, the European public spheres appear as a ‘disjointed entity’ with forms of inclusion and exclusion that vary for different groups of citizens, and for individuals within those groups (e.g. Muslim citizens). In this regard, the book will be of value to a range of readers interested in contemporary EU development, citizenship debates, gender studies and intersectionality.