European Identities, Inclusion and Equality: Social Exclusion of Vulnerable Groups in the European Union

The volume takes an interdisciplinary and intersectional approach to recent trends in European identities, social exclusion and poverty on the one hand, and social rights and equality legislation and policies in the European Union on the other. It examines whether legal instruments and policies can effectively address structural discrimination and social exclusion, explores their interplay with identity politics and stereotypes, and examines how legal principles and policies translate into societal progress and inclusion at both the EU and national levels.

The book highlights the social rights safeguarded in the European Pillar of Social Rights, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Council of Europe’s European Social Charter, as well as the role of EU and national courts in interpreting social rights and non-discrimination legislation. Using case studies from Greece, Italy and Spain, the book examines state and civil society initiatives to combat poverty and marginalization.

The book will appeal to students, researchers and academics in political science, law, sociology and education, as well as policy-makers and practitioners interested in equality and social policies aimed at combating social exclusion, marginalization and poverty.

Despoina Anagnostopoulou is a Professor in the Department of International & European Studies at the University of Macedonia, Greece, and has been teaching at the Open University of Cyprus since 2016. Her expertise includes EU law, institutions and policies, as well as human rights, migration and anti-discrimination law. From 2018 to 2022, she was the Academic Coordinator of the Jean Monnet EUVaDis project, and since 2014, she has been the Director of the UNESCO Chair on ’Intercultural Policies for Active Citizenship and Solidarity’ at the University of Macedonia. She also held the Jean Monnet Chair on ＂New Dimensions of EU Legal Studies＂ (2012-2015), and was the Academic Coordinator of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence ＂Research on Crucial Issues of European Integration＂ at the University of Macedonia. Prior to her academic career, Dr Anagnostopoulou worked for 11 years as a researcher at the Centre for International and European Economic Law in Greece. She is also a member of the Council of the European Law Institute in Vienna.