Building New Identities? Debating Fundamental Rights in European Institutions

This paper seeks to develop plausible hypotheses linking specific European institutions to changes in agent identity. My concern is to explore the pathways and mechanisms through which such shifts occur. The approach is largely inductive; however, my data collection and analysis are informed by several theoretical hunches on the nature of social interaction within institutions. It is also micro-, process- and agency-based. Specifically, I examine patterns of social interaction within committees of the Council of Europe, the main European rights institution. My interest is whether the identities of social agents changed/multiplied as they discussed and debated issues in these committees. That is, did the basic values and attitudes and, perhaps, identities of these actors change as a result of interaction within European institutions?