What is ‘Europe’, anyway?

What makes Europe Europe? Is it geography, politics, or a shared culture? Or is it perhaps a mix of all three? In this episode of the History Extra podcast, historian Roderick Beaton considers how Europe has been defined and redefined as an idea by its people across the centuries. He was speaking to Emily Briffitt.

We are going to be talking today all about your new book, Europe and New History. Now, the first question I'd really like to ask you is, what do we think we mean when we're talking about Europe? And what do we actually mean? Well, the thing is at different times and in different situations, we actually mean different things. One of the contrasts just in, you know, in in our country at the moment, I mean, what a difference it's been.

Ten years ago, when all the everybody was talking about Brexit and the Brexit referendum. And Europe was kind of out there, it was something else. It was almost for some people even an enemy, an adversary. Now, you know, from government and media, almost regardless of political stance, Brits seem to like to present ourselves as cheerleaders for a Europe that's battling for its existence on its eastern borders in Ukraine.

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