European Journal of International Relations 10(1) progressive iconographic tendencies than the later joiners is an interesting one,for it suggests a rough parallel between the degree of reluctance of certain national identities to accept supranational cultural norms and the reluctance of those same nations to join supranational institutions.Along these lines,the extreme case of the continuing statism on US greenbacks finds a parallel in the American refusal to join supranational institutions such as the International Criminal Court. Moving Beyond Objective Categories to Subjective Meaning The analysis to this point has assumed that iconography can be relatively unproblematically interpreted.So,if the Duke of Wellington is pictured,that is'obviously'a state-level,historical image,whereas if Shakespeare is pictured, that is 'obviously'an individual-level,cultural image.But in fact,symbolism is more malleable than that.In general,the fact of the potential malleability of symbolism suggests that the results reported above probably understate the degree to which European societies have undergone values change.The persistence of some apparently 'old-fashioned'iconography on banknotes reflects not national resistance to values change,but the reinvention of traditional national icons to maintain their relevance in a new era. For an example of how seeming iconographic stability can mask discursive evolution,we can take the explanations that various states have given for the designs they placed on the national sides of the new euro coins.13 Many of these images reflect quite traditional national content,but the nation-states' explanations for their iconographic choices (as they appear on the ECB website)are often anything but traditional.For instance,the German 10-, 20-and 50-cent coins feature the Brandenburg Gate,but with the following official explanation-The perspective of the design...emphasizes the opening of the gate,stressing the unification of Germany and Europe.'The French 1-,2-and 5-cent coins depict Marianne,the longtime symbol of the French Republic.The explanation?'This shows a young,feminine Marianne with determined features that embody her desire for a sound and lasting Europe.'Meanwhile,the Austrian 2-cent coin represents the national flower, the edelweiss,'symbolizing a duty to the environment and the part Austria is playing in the development of a Community environmental policy' (European Central Bank,2003).It would be of interest to investigate whether these new twists on old symbols are mere diplomatic niceties or whether they reflect the real emergence of 'Europeanness'as one of the core values of contemporary European nationhood. 18 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.Further reproduction prohibited without permission.Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission