European Society

Book excerpt: Does it make sense to speak of a European society, above and beyondits component states and regions? In this major new book WilliamOuthwaite argues that it does. He goes beyond the study ofindividual states and specific regions of Europe to examine thechanging contours of the continent as a whole, at a time whenEurope is beginning to look and act more like a singleentity. In what we have come to call Europe there developed distinctiveforms of political, economic, and more broadly social organisation- many of course building on elements drawn from more advancedcivilisations elsewhere in the world. During the centuries ofEuropean dominance these forms were often exported to other worldregions, where the export versions often surpassed the originalones. In the present century many features of European life remaindistinctive: the European welfare or social model, a substantiallysecularised culture, and particular forms of democratic politicsand of the relations between politics and the economy. This bookprovides a concise overview and analysis of these features whichcontinue to make Europe a relatively distinctive region of globalmodernity. The book will become a key text for students taking courses oncontemporary Europe, whether these are in departments of politics,sociology, literature or European Studies. It will also be of greatinterest to anyone living in, or concerned with, Europe today.