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For some years now a group of European historians, under the guidance by Prof. Robert Frank of the University of Paris I Sorbonne, has been carrying out extensive research aimed at the identification of the features of a European "space" in the context of the process of integration. Within the framework of the activities of the group, a convention was held in Florence in October 2003, the proceedings of which are collected in this volume. The subject of the convention was a reflection on the emergence and development of a "European social space", starting from the origins of the process of integration; this provided a stimulating opportunity for exchange between historians, sociologists, politologists and various other exponents of this significant Community dimension.