Was ist Südosteuropa und warum beschäftigen wir uns (nicht) damit?
What is Southeast Europe and Why We Do (Not) Concern With It?

Summary/Abstract: The article focuses on the terms „Southeast Europe” and „the Balkans” from a historical point of view. Whereas the Balkans (south of Sava and Danube) in medieval and modern times are clearly defined by the overlapping legacies of the Byzantine and Ottoman “worlds”, Southeast Europe (including the Balkans, the historical kingdom of Hungary, the Rumanian principalities and Anatolia) lacks the structural cohesiveness of a historical region sui generis. But there do exist several links between the Balkans as a historical core region and the adjacent parts in the north and east. The heuristic model of Southeast Europe (combining the Balkans with the neighbouring northern and eastern parts) makes sense, relating to ethnic diversity, problems of neighbourhood and interstate conflicts. The author emphasizes the variety of the historical developments in Europe and the distinctiveness of the Balkans. Although historical regions are the result of “mental mapping”, they are not mere fictions. The author underlines the necessity to take the “otherness” of the Balkans serious and to refrain from the post-modern attitude of dissolving historical regions. In accordance with the ongoing European and transatlantic integration process, we have to fill the gap between the political, economic and military engagement of the EU and NATO in Southeast Europe on the one hand and the lack of scientific knowledge of this allegedly confusing region on the other hand.

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