Negotiating Equality and Diversity in Europe -: transnational challenges to European citizenship

Migration has challenged theories of equality, diversity and rights attached to the nation state, and scholars have proposed post-national and trans-national frames, which attempt to expand citizenship, democracy and social justice beyond the nation state. Research demonstrates that in spite of differences in national histories, institutions and culture European nation states face similar problems with regard to issues of migration. The chapter addresses the intersections of gender equality and ethno-national diversity across Europe focusing on the interactions of actors in democratic politics in the national and supranational EU arena. It thus proposes to apply the intersectionality approach to the EUropean situation taking into account the specifics of European nation states and the supranational character and transnational characteristics of the EU (cf. Siim and Mokre eds. 2013). This includes on issues of national and EU citizenship as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the European Public Sphere which is understood both as an arena to negotiate national and supranational politics and a space for political articulations of those who are legally excluded from many other political rights. In this way, the chapter combines hitherto mostly separated research strands on intersectionality, citizenship, and the European Public Sphere and employ them in the empirical analysis.