CONTENTS; Introduction; European identities in a globalized world; Consumerism as a case study: global process and cultural identities; What's new about 'globalization'? Reconstructing European identities; Conclusion; References; 2 The Council of Europe: defining and defending a European identity; Introduction; Imagining a peaceful Europe; Churchill and the Congress of Europe at The Hague; The founding of the Council of Europe (5 May 1949); Helsinki Final Act; UN covenants on human rights; The principles underlying the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (4 November 1950); The Council of Europe, the European Economic Community and successors; European signs and symbols; Conclusion 101; Appendix: The European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.