ДА ЛИ ЈЕ БАЛКАН ЗАИСТА „ИМАГИНАРАН“?
IS THE BALKANS REALLY "IMAGINARY"?

Summary/Abstract: The рареr is based оп two assumptions. Primarily, that the centuries-old prejudice about the Balkans, as а culturally peripheral and inferior region, is a result of the Western European ethnocentrism of a modern epoch. Ideological hegemonism was built concurrently with spreading of the political and economic influence, depicting the Balkans as Other Space, separated from the civilized Europe. Since it is deeply rooted in ideology, such perception of the world cannot be scientific at the same time. However, if this phenomenon is observed in a wider time-space perspective of philosophy and history of culture, the contradictory assumptions prove out to bе objective: (1) Any border area is superior due to proximity of differing environments, enabling intensive, often very close meetings and exchanges of all kinds and, ultimately resulting in abundant achievements; (2) The concepts of center and periphery are relative since centers of the cultural influences shift throughout history are shifting, increasingly faster as times goes by; (3) The idea of inferiority of any space, except the imperial one, is therefore unsustainable. This perception ог reality is confirmed by the life practice and cognitive assumptions of science — it can be proven. In particular, the most developed civilizations thrived until 15th century in the East (mostly in Asia, and to а smaller extent in Africa) and courses оf аn cultural developments run from thе East to West, and not vice versa. Тће Western Europe starting conquering ог the East precisely because of its own underdevelopment and backwardness of every kind, already from the time of Crusade wars, a whole millennium backward. And the shortest and easiest way led exactly through the Balkans.

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