30 September 2023
Europeans are comfortable talking about whiteness in the American context. But when it comes to their own continent, not so much. That serves to shut down an important conversation about police brutality, decolonisation and migration. The resistance to discussing whiteness is starkly apparent at the level of the EU and it’s another sign the European project is heading in a troubling direction. That’s the assessment of Hans Kundnani, the author of a ground-breaking new book titled Eurowhiteness. Hans is an associate fellow at the think tank Chatham House in London, and he was previously with the German Marshall Fund and the European Centre for Foreign Relations. In his book, Hans describes an EU that still presents itself as congenial and cosmopolitan. In reality, he says, the EU has become much harder edged — and much more about protecting cultural and ethnic identity. Marking her return to EU Scream is Mehreen Khan, a former EU correspondent for the Financial Times in Brussels and now economics editor at The Times of London. Mehreen says Eurowhiteness is a rich concept — one that helps shed light on the Balkan wars, the colonial reflexes of senior EU figures as well as the quasi religious aspect of some pro-Europeanism. Hans and Mehreen are joined by Helena Malikova, who moderates the first of two episodes that are part of our BrusselsSoWhite series about race in the EU. Helena is talking in a personal capacity and the views expressed are not attributable to her employer, the European Commission. If you enjoy this episode, look out for Part 2 on Eurowhiteness and a far right EU.
