Papers > By author > Çengel Esra

This paper aims to analyze the possible impact of the 2008 Greek Debt Crisis on the Greek elites' perception of belonging to the European identity. It will argue that the 2008 Debt Crisis has negatively affected the Greek elites' perception of identity. It is assumed that this negative change has been reflected in their discourses throughout the crisis. Therefore, this paper will try to demonstrate the change through discourse analysis of the political elites' speeches from 2002 to 2015. In doing so, it will test some major premises of Constructivism. The paper first examines the European identity as a form of collective identity. Then, it focuses on evolution of the crisis with special emphasis on the Greece's ongoing Europeanization process. Lastly, speeches of the Greek political elite are analyzed with broader references to the nature of European identity and Greek self-perception of Europeanness. 

Keywords:The Greek Political Elite, 2008 Debt Crisis, European Identity, Discourse Analysis, Identity Change