“Zrodzona z kryzysu, pogrzebana przez katastrofę”: Europa Środkowa jako projekt skazany na porażkę
“Born out of Crisis, Buried by Catastrophe” Central Europe as a Project Doomed to Failure

Summary/Abstract: In her paper, the author examines images of Central Europe created in various popular genres (campus novels, quasi-guidebooks, films, essays) as well as interpretations of the Central European myth from countries of the region. The aim is to reflect on two main Central European narratives. One is a vision of retrospective utopia of lost harmonious coexistence of cultures, religions and nations. The other – an image of the “misery of small Central European states”, of a backward region, immersed in never-ending ethnic conflicts. The author seeks to address the question of how these narratives influence the interpretation of the systemic transition process and of contemporary problems that the region is facing.

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