Europe’s identity was constituted through, not despite, its colonial expansion

Evidence

What this story misses is that Europe did not simply expand overseas; it made itself through that expansion. It also underemphasizes the role that Europeans—especially those who inhabit the United States—still play in regulating “world-wide society,” a role that is by no means “modest.” The borders of political Europe have varied not only over time, but also according to the European model governing global relations. — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular, 837 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Europe constituted its own identity through overseas expansion — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular:…, 837; Europe’s colonial past is irreversible and constitutive of its present identity — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular:…, 826; Europe’s colonial past remains constitutive, not an ended epoch — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular:…, 826 (+12 more)

Broader Connections

• Europe constituted its own identity through overseas expansion #expands (0.98) — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular, 837
• Europe made itself through overseas expansion rather than merely extending outward #expands (0.95)
• Medieval identity was localized rather than European or continental #complicates (0.75)
• Nationalism originated in the New World colonies, not in Europe’s ethnolinguistic movements #complicates (0.73) — Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities, 22