LECTURE 1

Regions and regionalism in the new Europe

This introductory lecture outlined the basic concepts related to the sociological study of regions and regionalism, with a particular emphasis to the emerging economical, political, environmental and spiritual reality of the new Europe. The lecture reviewed some of the main definitions of what constitutes a region, and identified the basic concepts and approaches to integration. Both the diversity and the hierarchical nature of regionalism were emphasized and attention was called to the motivations that lead groups of states and regions to elect for one particular form of regional co-operation over another.

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