Violence within Europe strengthens, rather than dilutes, European identity

Evidence

Clearly neither the genocide practiced by the Nazi state nor its attempt to overwhelm Europe have led to feelings in Western Europe that would cast doubt on where Germany belongs. I do not make this statement in a polemical spirit. On the contrary, I affirm that given the idea of Europe that exists, such violence does not dilute Germany’s Europeanness because violence is—among other things—a complicated moral language. Far from being threatened by internal violence, European solidarity is strengthened by it. — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular, 782 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

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 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim
• XREF: connects to: Internal violence strengthens rather than dilutes European solidarity. — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular:…, 782; Europe responds to perceived external menace by constructing concentric rings of inauthentic belonging — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race: Reflections on…, 928; European identity formed through internal cohesion paired with contrast to other worlds (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Internal violence strengthens rather than dilutes European solidarity. #corroborates (0.98) — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular, 782
• Europe constituted its own identity through overseas expansion #complicates (0.72) — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular, 837