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Imagining Europe: Constructing Railways And Place Identity

Ipsen, Bertil Johannes LU (2022) SANM03 20221
Department of Sociology
Social Anthropology
Abstract
Railways have played a significant role in the development of national identity. In the
context of the European Union, I argue that it could play a similar role in supranational
identity building. Currently, the European railways resemble a patchwork of incompatible
standards and working practices. This thesis aims to investigate the roles efforts to
harmonize this patchwork play in the cultural landscape of the EU. To do this, I rely
primarily on literature review and ethnographic readings of technical documents. I find
that embedded in this technical work is a process of cultural imagining. I draw on theory
from Benedict Anderson and Sheila Jasanoff to illustrate what values, feelings, and hopes
are present in this imaginative... (More)
Railways have played a significant role in the development of national identity. In the
context of the European Union, I argue that it could play a similar role in supranational
identity building. Currently, the European railways resemble a patchwork of incompatible
standards and working practices. This thesis aims to investigate the roles efforts to
harmonize this patchwork play in the cultural landscape of the EU. To do this, I rely
primarily on literature review and ethnographic readings of technical documents. I find
that embedded in this technical work is a process of cultural imagining. I draw on theory
from Benedict Anderson and Sheila Jasanoff to illustrate what values, feelings, and hopes
are present in this imaginative process. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Ipsen, Bertil Johannes LU
supervisor
organization
course
SANM03 20221
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Social anthropology, place identity, railways, Europe, standardization
language
English
id
9092175
date added to LUP
2022-06-22 11:35:38
date last changed
2022-06-22 11:35:38
@misc{9092175,
  abstract     = {{Railways have played a significant role in the development of national identity. In the
context of the European Union, I argue that it could play a similar role in supranational
identity building. Currently, the European railways resemble a patchwork of incompatible
standards and working practices. This thesis aims to investigate the roles efforts to
harmonize this patchwork play in the cultural landscape of the EU. To do this, I rely
primarily on literature review and ethnographic readings of technical documents. I find
that embedded in this technical work is a process of cultural imagining. I draw on theory
from Benedict Anderson and Sheila Jasanoff to illustrate what values, feelings, and hopes
are present in this imaginative process.}},
  author       = {{Ipsen, Bertil Johannes}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Imagining Europe: Constructing Railways And Place Identity}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}