BOOKS REVIEWS
In search of unity
EUROPE
RICHARD J EVANS is unconvinced by a new study that is focused on the idea of finishing the “European project” and based on the testimonies of esteemed thinkers over the centuries
The states we’re in A map of the Holy Roman Empire surrounded by portraits of its emperors, 1770. Anthony Pagden’s new book focuses on the idea of a united Europe
The Pursuit of Europe: A History by Anthony Pagden Oxford University Press, 432 pages, £25
BRIDGEMAN
In his new book, The Pursuit of Europe, Anthony Pagden vigorously asserts the possibility – indeed, the necessity – of resuming and completing the “European project”. By this he means the creation not of a European superstate but “a new post-national order united in a political life based not upon the old shibboleths of nationalism and patriotism but upon a common body of values and aspirations”.