P R EFACE
Our understanding of the history, culture and politics of Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australia is enhanced by an investigation into the affiliations that transcend religious, linguistic and national bonds. In modern Europe, countries such as Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, Austria and, more recently, Germany, Italy and Spain possess a complex identity connected to a continuous process of immigration. If we consider Europe as a whole, we notice that it is characterised by linguistic and ideological interchange, parallels between religious traditions and a shared notion of civilisation and codes of behaviour passed down through history as evidence of a common cultural heritage.1 All these reflect the fluid identity of individuals, groups and nations. The discovery of these shared characteristics enables us to reject the doctrine of our Romantic predecessors and their emphasis on what divides, versus what unites us. We understand that both individual and collective identity are heterogeneous rather than specific, viewing them through the prism of plurality instead of singularity. The relationship between the local and the universal prompts us to be wary of coercive ideologies promoted by majority or minority groups. 10
