European Identity and other Mysteries - Seeking out the hidden source of unity for a troubled polity

The economic crisis in Europe exposes the European Unions political fragility. How a polity made of very different states can live up to the motto Europe united in diversity is difficult to envisage in practice. In this paper I attempt an exegesisa critical explanation or interpretation of a series of published pieces (the Series) which explores, first, if European unity is desirable at all. Second, it presents a new methodologyanalogical hermeneuticsused throughout the Series to approach the problem of unity. Third, it conceptualises the source of unity as political identity. Fourth, it advances that the vehicle to share such identity is an analogical language: the political culture of human rights. Fifth, it submits the conditions under which such political culture could ground political identity through an open public sphere. Finally, it presents a way in which solidarity can grow as the increasingly diverse citizens of the European Union interact with each other. Even though the economic crisis can be solved by means of sound economic strategy (which is not the main object of my work), any successful economic strategy requiresas a preconditiona certain degree of political unity (the central concern of my research).