HEIKKI MIKKELI is a Junior Research Fellow at the Academy of Finland, University of Helsinki. Besides the idea of Europe he has researched Renaissance Aristotelianism and the history of hygiene in early modern Europe. He is the author of An Aristotelian Response to Renaissance Humanism: Jacopo Zabarella on the Nature of Arts and Sciences and The History of Hygiene in Early Modern Europe (forthcoming).

• Acknowledgements Introduction PART 1: EUROPE AS AN IDEA The Mythological and Geographical Roots of Europe Christendom and Europe in the Middle Ages The Balance of Power and the Quest for Peace Nationalism, Federalism and the United States of Europe A New Hope Emerging: the Interwar Period Towards Maastricht: the Realisation of the European Union PART 2: EUROPEAN IDENTITY The Border of Expansion: Europe and America The Border of Defence: Europe and Russia The Question of Central Europe: Europe In-between? The Historical Principles of European Identity European Political and Cultural Identities Writing European History Bibliography Index