A Methodological Approach to the Question of National Identity in Europe

The construction of the European Union poses fundamental questions about the ability of people to voluntarily acquire new forms of identity with new political institutions. The dilemma for social scientists is how to address an issue ? namely, an identity ? that is notoriously difficult to pin down. The aim of this paper is to introduce a particularly powerful qualitative methodology to social science in Europe that could be especially apt for this purpose. While it has a valued place in fields as disparate as political science, mass communications, and healthcare (among others), this methodology has never been used to study national identity in the context of the European Union. The paper presents a brief description of this methodology as a prelude to a more detailed discussion of how it functions, interweaving examples from a study of the dominance of national identity in the lives of French people. Finally, a concluding section addresses some implications this methodology could have for the field.