| Review of: | The Politics of Regional Identity: Meddling with the Mediterranean by M. Pace |
|---|---|
| Reviewed By: | George Christou |
| Reviewed in: | Journal of Common Market Studies |
| Date accepted online: | 28/03/2007 |
| Published in print: | Volume 45, Issue 1, Pages 211-229 |
Book Reviews
The central concept that this volume sets out to investigate is that of 'regions', and importantly from both a European Union studies and International Relations perspective the way in which the Mediterranean as a 'region' can be understood through the theoretical lens of what the author labels 'discursive constructivism' (radical constructivism combined with discourse analysis). The book proposes an analysis of the study of region building or region formation in the Mediterranean, focusing specifically on process in order to understand how discourses emerge and sustain notions of regionalism and regions.
The volume offers in its opening chapters a contextual background to the theoretical approach taken (chapter 2) and of EU practice toward the Mediterranean through the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) (chapter 3) - outlining in particular the structural conditions that shape the (uneven) relationship between North and South. These chapters serve as a pretext to the central empirical chapters that then proceed to analyse forensically, through textual analysis of EU documentation and interview material, the EU's discourse on the Mediterranean (chapter 4) and of the three country case studies Greece, Malta and Morocco on the EMP (chapter 5) - providing in each case a social historical background in which to understand discursive practice and draw out commonalities and differences on the Mediterranean between the three countries. The penultimate chapter (chapter 6) provides a comparative analysis of country case study discourses and EU discourses on the Mediterranean highlighting 'the varied practices underlying political discourse and action in the Mediterranean' (p. 19) - and providing a comprehensive overview of the constellation of ideas on the Mediterranean and how they feed into the question of Mediterranean 'identity'. The concluding chapter offers thoughts on the Mediterranean as a 'region' as well as the broader applicability and relevance of discursive analysis for understanding and shaping future EU foreign policy in the Mediterranean.
This book no doubt makes a significant contribution to the study of the Mediterranean beyond the conventional offerings of related works. Its most valuable asset is in highlighting the strengths of its discursive, process oriented approach. Analyses that move beyond a rationalist ontology and methodology are certainly important if we are to understand how the EU might develop its external policy in the future towards the Mediterranean and indeed other 'regions'. This book demonstrates that extending our understanding of perceptions across the EU-Mediterranean space is a fruitful way forward not just on a theoretical level, but also on a practical, policy-oriented level. Appreciating the complexity and differentiation of attitudes across the EU-Mediterranean space can provide a promising platform for developing practice that encourages a convergence of perceptions, thus helping towards 'constituting policies which enable people in EU countries as well as Mediterranean countries feel and talk more positively about the "other" through a better understanding of the "other" ' (p. 174).