Podcast Summary: "Hans Kundnani, Eurowhiteness: Culture, Empire and Race in the European Project (Oxford UP, 2023)"

Podcast: New Books Network
Host: Tim Jones
Guest: Hans Kundnani
Date: January 1, 2026

Overview

This episode features a conversation between Tim Jones and Hans Kundnani about Kundnani’s provocative book, Eurowhiteness: Culture, Empire and Race in the European Project. The book interrogates the history and contemporary meaning of “European identity,” exposing its deep connections with notions of whiteness, empire, and exclusion. Kundnani unpacks how European integration was historically entangled with imperial and colonial projects, challenging common myths about the post-war European Union as a purely cosmopolitan endeavor. The conversation traverses personal, historical, and political terrain, questioning what it means to be “European” in a region grappling with identity, immigration, and its imperial past.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Personal Reflection and Motivation

• Kundnani describes the book as “personal,” rooted in his background: Indian father, Dutch mother, British upbringing ([02:16–04:55]).
  • He feels “more European than some Britons” due to his parentage but can “never be fully European.”
• The trigger for his exploration was hearing colleagues proudly proclaim their “Europeanness,” which felt foreign to him.

"I've never been able to think of myself as being fully European, being 100% European, as I've heard some people describe themselves." — Hans Kundnani ([03:57])

2. Challenging the Self-Mythologization of the EU

• Kundnani critiques the narrative that the EU is the embodiment of cosmopolitanism and peace, suggesting it obscures realities about the Union’s origins and current practices ([05:36–08:30]).
• He highlights the disconnect between the idealized image of the EU and its actual history, especially as he observed in policy circles.

“There's a certain sort of idea of what the EU is and what it stands for that has become quite prevalent… the self mythologization… of cosmopolitan Europe.” — Hans Kundnani ([05:55])

3. Historical Foundations of European Identity

• The book traces European identity from Christendom to the Enlightenment and the rise of colonial empires ([08:56–13:30]):
  • Medieval Europe: Synonymous with Christendom/Christianity, embodied by Charlemagne.
  • Modern Era: Shift toward rationalism, but with the rise of colonialism and the concept of “whiteness.”
• The Enlightenment and colonial era entwined European identity and whiteness.

“Europeanness and whiteness are sort of very closely connected.” — Hans Kundnani ([12:40])

• Memorable illustration:

  “In apartheid South Africa… benches… said whites only and some … Europeans only, and it was understood they meant the same thing.” — Hans Kundnani ([12:50])

4. Empire, Colonialism, and the European Project

• Kundnani draws on recent scholarly work to argue that the EU’s origins are inseparable from empire ([14:04–17:21]):
  • Early European integration was partly motivated by efforts to preserve colonial power, particularly French and Belgian interests in Africa.
  • Referenced key work: Eurafrica by Pio Hansen and Stefan Jansson.

“Original sin of European integration… consolidating French and Belgian colonies in Africa… doesn’t seem to have penetrated… policy world.” — Hans Kundnani ([15:33])

5. Regionalism vs. Cosmopolitanism: The Myth of European Internationalism

• The EU is fundamentally a regional project, not an international or cosmopolitan one ([17:21–18:42]).
• Enlargement to Eastern Europe is discussed in terms of “return to Europe” as a return to so-called civilization/whiteness, echoing long-standing internal hierarchies.

“[Enlargement] fits into a longer story going back to the Enlightenment of the way that Western Europeans have basically looked down on Central and Eastern Europeans as being in need of civilization.” — Hans Kundnani ([20:09])

• Kundnani references the concept of “dirty whiteness” (Joseph Buruch) — aspirational attempts by East Europeans to join the ‘in-group.’

6. Contestation Over European Identity: Static vs. Dynamic?

• Jones challenges the idea that Central and Eastern European identity is monolithic ([24:52–25:57]), noting dynamic, internal divisions.
• Kundnani responds by stressing that civilizational notions of Europe remain widespread and are not limited to far-right or illiberal actors.

“These more problematic ethnic cultural ideas of Europe were there from the beginning and not just among the far right.” — Hans Kundnani ([27:09])

• Example: The push for a specific mention of Christianity in the failed European Constitution was driven not just by the far right but by centrist governments.

7. Christianity’s Enduring Role

• Early European integration was strongly tied to Christian democracy and a vision of Europe as a bulwark against communism ([29:33–30:35]). These themes have reemerged in contemporary debates.

8. From Economics to Identity: Depoliticization and the Rise of Culture Wars

• Kundnani argues (drawing on scholars like Quinn Slobodian) that economic policy is increasingly “depoliticized” by EU structures ([30:35–35:49]).
• As economic contestation is shut down, cultural and identity issues (immigration, Islam, etc.) become focal points for political conflict.
• The EU, as a form of “hyper regionalization,” experiences a more acute version of the culture wars observable elsewhere.

"If you can't argue about the economy and economic policy and real alternatives... then you're going to end up arguing about culture. And so to put it very simply, there's a way in which neoliberalism produces identity politics." — Hans Kundnani ([32:49])

• 2015’s refugee crisis marked a shift toward heightened anxieties about identity and “threats” to Europe, as far-right rhetoric gained ground.

9. Minority Populations, Brexit, and European Identity

• Jones points out that minority populations in Britain, while voting Remain by a significant margin, do not necessarily feel greater attachment to the EU ([35:49–43:07]).
• Kundnani contends that Britishness is a more inclusive identity for minorities than “Europeanness,” and minorities often feel excluded from the latter concept.

“Black and Asian Brits just identify with the idea of Europe and the idea of being European much less than white people do in Britain.” — Hans Kundnani ([41:44])

• Britishness has become more inclusive (less so Englishness), but “Europeanness” is still imagined in largely ethnic and cultural (white) terms.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Personal Identity & Europeanism:
  “Never been able to think of myself as being fully European… that sense was one of the things which made me start to think about some of these questions.” — Hans Kundnani ([03:57])

• On EU Founding Myths:
  “There’s this sort of myth of cosmopolitan Europe… which becomes central even for people who don’t know it very well.” — Hans Kundnani ([05:55])

• On Colonial Blind Spots in Policy Circles:
  “If you tell [EU policy] people about this early period of European integration… they're simply not aware of this history at all.” — Hans Kundnani ([15:33])

• On British vs. European Identity for Minorities:
  “Britishness can absolutely include somebody whose family comes from the Caribbean or from Africa or from the Indian subcontinent… It’s easier for black and Asian Brits to think of themselves as being British… than as being European.” — Hans Kundnani ([41:56–42:27])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Personal background & motivation: [02:08–04:55]
• Myth of EU cosmopolitanism: [05:36–08:30]
• Historical development of European identity: [08:56–13:30]
• Empire, colonialism, and integration: [14:04–17:21]
• Regionalism vs. cosmopolitanism debate: [17:21–18:42]
• EU enlargement & "dirty whiteness": [18:42–24:52]
• Static vs. dynamic identity critique: [24:52–29:33]
• Christian foundations: [29:33–30:35]
• Depoliticization and rise of identity politics: [30:35–35:49]
• Minorities & Brexit: [35:49–43:07]
• Book recommendations: [43:07–46:16]

Book Recommendations

1. Academic:
   • Eurafrica: The Untold History of European Integration and Colonialism by Pio Hansen and Stefan Jansson ([43:17])
     • "Definitive account of the intersection between the final period of European colonialism and the early period of European integration."
2. Personal:
   • The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon ([44:28])
     • "First black British novel about the Windrush generation; vivid depiction of 1950s West London."

Conclusion

Kundnani’s Eurowhiteness invites listeners to rethink the European project not as a break from history but as a continuation and adaptation of inherited ideas about civilization, race, and empire. The episode underscores the need for honest engagement with uncomfortable pasts and present exclusions—challenging both the self-image of pro-Europeans and the boundaries of European identity itself.

For further exploration, the guest’s recommended reading highlights the roots of EU-African entanglements and the immigrant experience in postwar Britain, underscoring the episode’s central themes.