REINVENTING THE ILLUSION OR GETTING BACK TO THE REALITY: EU MYTH VS. BALKAN IDENTITY
REINVENTING THE ILLUSION OR GETTING BACK TO THE REALITY: EU MYTH VS. BALKAN IDENTITY

Summary/Abstract: Despite prevailing perceptions, the Balkans has been a region with the longest periods of peace and prosperity in recorded history. For centuries, the Balkans has been a crossroad of civilizations paved by empires, commerce, culture and religion, where civilizations did not clash, but communicated, interacted, and merged, producing fertile ground for dialogue and exchange. This great potential was overshadowed by developments in recent history. The first and last armed conflicts in Europe during the short 20th century (1914-1991) took place in the Balkans. The bloodshed gave birth to a new term – Balkanization that became a synonym for a reversion to the tribal, backward, primitive and even barbarian habits and practices. This term echoed some earlier metaphors that tried to capture the innate instability of the region. These metaphors are a part of a Balkanophobe paradigm that consists of oversimplified and shallow interpretations and conceptual frames about the Balkans. At the beginning of the third millennia, marked by geopolitical shifts, migrations, and multiple global and regional crises, we need a fresh, authentic understanding of the Balkans, its role, position, capacity and potentials. We need a shift from a Balkanophobe to a Balkanophile paradigm. In a complex and contradictory world, the Balkan region should not be seen as a buffer zone, but an open, inclusive and connected region, capable of creating conditions that would benefit its countries and peoples, providing them with opportunities to share its positive experiences with one another and the rest of Europe.

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