Europe in the Balance

Europe seems to be plunging into crises of demographic and economic displacements, heightened nationalism, and general unrest. Wealthy countries that have enjoyed stellar global reputations for their fortitude and livability have had to adjust their policies and practices to keep up with immigration and economic transitions. What is life like on the ground in countries previously known for high standards of living and enviable social welfare benefits, amid, for example, worsening job prospects, the uncertainties of Brexit, and the abrupt resignation of the Belgian prime minister in the capital of the European Union? Is Europe falling apart, as news reports and journalists’ analyses seem to suggest, and if so, what does that mean for Europeans? In this Hot Spot series, we suggest that political unrest in the “Old Continent” portends complications and contradictions in the habits of everyday living in countries that, since the end of the Cold War and rise of the EU, have seemed to be among the most stable in the world. How are citizens and residents of these countries making room not only for new immigrants and refugees, but also for new struggles in their own lives? Current politics challenge not only a global imaginary of European life as “wealthy” and “progressive,” but also the weft and weave of everyday life, from working conditions and access to healthcare and food, to aspirations for the future.

Posts in This Series

Europe in the Balance: An Introduction

Europe in the Balance: An Introduction

Soon, nostalgia will be another name for Europe.—Angela Carter, British novelist, in her review of John Berger’s Once Upon a Time in Europe, the Washington Post... More

The Call of the Bell Tower

The Call of the Bell Tower

Back in the early 1970s, I went to seventh grade in the Italian village of Fiesole, just above Florence. Between the kids smoking in the alley and a priest who ... More

“One world ends and another begins”: Making Sense of Migration

“One world ends and another begins”: Making Sense of Migration

As global supply chains became the new normal, and as well-demarcated fashion seasons changed into fluid and fickle trends, the Made in Italy sector witnessed a... More

Cash Deserts and Cash Swamps

Cash Deserts and Cash Swamps

Since the savings bank revolution of the nineteenth century, Swedes have associated banks with access and storage of hard cash. How shocking, then, to discover ... More

Droning On: Toward a Single European Sky

Droning On: Toward a Single European Sky

To show how commercially available drones present Europeans with contrasting experiences of despair and hope, I offer two examples.One, on December 19, 2018, ev... More

Field Notes on the World Cup of 2018: How Race, Colonialism, and Histories of Migration Shape French Soccer

Field Notes on the World Cup of 2018: How Race, Colonialism, and Histories of Migration Shape French Soccer

I entered into the 2018 World Cup season with a long-held and far-fetched personal desire: that France would win the World Cup for a second time, following thei... More

On Ossian’s Ride

On Ossian’s Ride

In 1959 the British astronomer Fred Hoyle published his science fiction novel, Ossian’s Ride, depicting a future Ireland miraculously transformed into a technol... More

Eat, Pray, Give Birth—But Not If You’re Muslim

Eat, Pray, Give Birth—But Not If You’re Muslim

Underneath the swings and trends in European politics—these days toward populism and ecology, not so long ago toward soft versions of diversity—is the constant ... More

The Cast-Off Kitchens of Brussels

The Cast-Off Kitchens of Brussels

“Chef Nena,” as she is known, is a lifelong Bruxelloise and the head trainer at a restaurant in Brussels called Bel Mundo. One late afternoon during dinner prep... More

In Search of Crip Time

In Search of Crip Time

We learned, early on from our time in England, that when you spoke with members of the National Health Service (NHS) you were going to hear “no” the first time,... More

The Political Ecology of Fascism

The Political Ecology of Fascism

In twenty-five or thirty years historians will be able to determine that coalescing around us now is in fact “fascism.”1 For the moment, the ethnographer needs ... More

In Search of a Pragmatic Future

In Search of a Pragmatic Future

The elections for the European Parliament in May 2019 and the Greek Parliament in July 2019 present us with a paradox. After a long crisis Greece becomes politi... More