Travel in the european public sphere. The case of the Erasmus Programme

The article combines the travel experience, the construction of identity and the European public sphere through the Erasmus Programme. The topic is interesting and original in order to know how the different variables interrelate in this vital experience. The study describes the attitudes and perceptions of Spanish students about the construction of their own European identity and the common public sphere under a comparative approach between those who have participated in the Erasmus Programme and those who have not. The core of the analysis is the data obtained through a closed questionnaire applied to a sample made up of students and university graduates from different Spanish universities. Thus, the article characterizes the results obtained in the whole of the sample and, subsequently, it offers an analysis of the subgroups of participants and non-participants in the Erasmus Programme. The article concludes that the Spanish university students, regardless of their participation in the Erasmus Programme, are global citizens inserted in a transnational public sphere, who frequently show interest in European news. However, the perceptions of the participants are more positive towards European feelings. They show more interest in the European Union, as well as more confidence in the European institutions. In contrast, Erasmus students tend to be more critical in other aspects.