Memories in Multi-Ethnic Societies - Cohesion in Multi-Ethnic Societies in Europe from c. 1000 to the Present, I

The three-volume project Cohesion in Multi-Ethnic Societies in Europe from c. 1000 to the Present explores and seeks to find solutions to a crucial problem facing contemporary Europe : in what circumstances can different ethnic groups co-operate for the common good ? They apparently did so in the past, combining to form political societies, medieval and early modern duchies, kingdoms, and empires.
But did they maintain their ethnic traditions in this process ? Did they pass on elements of their cultural memory when they were not in a dominant position in a given polity ? This first volume of the project focuses on the cohesive function of memory, tradition, and identity politics in multi-ethnic societies. Featuring chapters written by authors from Southern, Central, and Eastern Europe, it presents sixteen case studies of the co-habitation or co-operation of different ethnic groups from the so-called ‘peripheries' of medieval and early modern Europe that resulted in peaceful acculturation or the birth of a new identity on the basis of multi-ethnic political society.
The volume suggests that ethnic identities were consciously accepted as one among various forms of identity that were possessed by social groups : they were rarely absolutized, and members of these groups preferred pragmatic approaches in their relations with other ethnicities.