Feeling European in a globalised world and the role of mobility, networks, and consumption: a comparative approach to British exceptionalism

This article rethinks European and global self-identification after the 2008 crash and the rise of populism and nationalism in Europe. Situating ourselves within the tradition of transactionalist theories, we run multinomial logistic regressions using data from the unusually comprehensive EUCROSS survey in Denmark, Germany, Italy, Romania, Spain, and the UK in 2012. We show that mobility, networks, and consumption practices are related to different kinds of national, European, and global identities among our respondents. Britain is distinctive in two ways. First, network and consumption practices induce a greater variation among British citizens in affecting their supranational feelings. Second, Britain sees a clearer differentiation between the forces of globalisation and Europeanisation. We conclude that the British are not, in any obvious ways, more nationalist than other nations, but that the strength of their ex-imperial networks means that their supranational identities can take a more anti-European form.