Images from Paradise

Drawing upon the disciplines of politics, anthropology, psychoanalysis, aesthetics and cinema studies, Salgó presents a new way of looking at the “art of European unification.” The official visual narratives of the European Union constitute the main object of inquiry – the iconography of the new series of euro banknotes and the videos through which the supranational elite seek to generate “collective effervescence,” allow for a European carnival to take place, and prompt citizens to pledge allegiance to the sacred dogma of the “ever closer union,” thereby strengthening the mythical sources of the organization’s legitimacy. The author seeks to illustrate how and why the federalist utopia turned into a political soteriology after the outbreak of the 2008 crisis.

Drawing upon the disciplines of politics, anthropology, psychoanalysis, aesthetics and cinema studies, Salgó presents a new way of looking at the “art of European unification.” The official visual narratives of the European Union constitute the main object of inquiry – the iconography of the new series of euro banknotes and the videos through which the supranational elite seek to generate “collective effervescence,” allow for a European carnival to take place, and prompt citizens to pledge allegiance to the sacred dogma of the “ever closer union,” thereby strengthening the mythical sources of the organization’s legitimacy. The author seeks to illustrate how and why the federalist utopia turned into a political soteriology after the outbreak of the 2008 crisis.

Acknowledgments

Introduction: The (Long-Desired) Rebirth of Europe’s “Fantastic Family”

PART I: NUMINOUS STORIES ABOUT EUROPE’S REBIRTH

Chapter 1. Need for a Paradise Dream
Chapter 2. Manifestations of Eurofederalists’ Paradise Dream
Chapter 3. The Tale of Seductive Europa

PART II: THE PROMISE OF A NEW SYMBOL

Chapter 4. Welcome to the Center of the European Mandala!
Chapter 5. Europa’s Sacred Gaze
Chapter 6. The European Central Bank’s Story of Abundance: In Between Sacred Rituals and Political Marketing

PART III: EUROPEAN FESTIVAL TALES

Chapter 7. The Promise of European Rituals
Chapter 8. “Rise like a Phoenix”: A New Anthem for (Federal) Europe
Chapter 9. The 2014 Elections of the European Parliament: Preparing for a European Carnival

Concluding Remarks: The European Union’s (Magic-Less) Bridge-Builders

Bibliography
Index