ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter we saw that the country, seen as a political vacuum in Chapter 7, became a political entity when countries such as Russia were considered. In Chapters 11 and 12 it was suggested that Europe tended to be defined by young people in terms of its institutions, particularly those of the European Union, rather than in terms of its culture. Indeed, it was not infrequently asserted that a specifically European culture did not exist, and that Europe was marked by its cultural diversity rather than its cultural unity. However, when asked if other countries might possibly be seen as European Union members, this insistence on the lack of a cultural identity began to waver, and sometimes to evaporate. This was particularly true when Turkey was suggested as a potential member, but also sometimes when Russia was suggested.
