Abstract
This chapter asserts that one of the most important aspects of the European Union has been the complex and often ambiguous power politics of conditionality. However, less attention has been paid to the ways in which the management of the Eurozone crisis, especially with regard to the case of Greece, has been embedded in practices that construct distinctions between insiders and outsiders within the Eurozone. Drawing on the concept of the ‘standard of civilization’ and postcolonial approaches to the study of the European Union, the aim of this chapter is to examine the transformation of Greece into a negative signifier and to illustrate the relevance of civilizational practices and narratives to the Greek Financial Crisis. In this respect, the chapter provides a reflective critique to exclusionary practices engrained in the management of the crisis. It also highlights the enduring importance of hierarchy and civilization within the Eurozone.
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Mikelis, K., Stroikos, D. (2017). Hierarchies, Civilization, and the Eurozone Crisis: The Greek Financial Crisis. In: Marangos, J. (eds) The Internal Impact and External Influence of the Greek Financial Crisis. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60201-1_8
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