“The Worst Enemy of Itself ”: Europe as a Divided, Dying, and Helpless Civilisation

This chapter addresses the critical discourse on Europe developed by Albert Camus in his works. Contrary to popular belief, Camus was a sharp and severe critic of Europe, which he viewed, especially after the Second World War, as a divided, dyving, and helpless civilisation. Speaking from his Mediterranean perspective, Camus highlighted how Europeans had abandoned beauty, passion, care, and tension, and how nihilism had led to the rise of their political cancer or national sovereignties. In an effort to integrate Europe into a broader project that celebrated Mediterranean civilisation, Camus envisioned a European federation in dialogue with Africa, countering the suffocating constraints of national boundaries. However, he was highly sceptical of Europe’s willingness to follow this path and was convinced that the Old Continent, with its outdated logics and hybris, was “the worst enemy of itself”.