The European Union is undoubtedly in trouble. While some of the available analyses may speculate and offer solutions to overcome current economic and political problems, others go as far as to claim that the Brussels administration has failed to consolidate the European integrationist project, seeing its collapse as the most probable outcome. More precisely, the 2008 financial crisis as well as the recent migrant crisis have clearly indicated that the EU is far from united, suggesting that it will not not take long before its Member States start accusing each other of wrong policy choices, each being primarily concerned with their own performance. At the same time, the discourse on European identity and the presence of the Other has often been used and abused to promote either greater inclusion or exclusion, depending on the policy agenda. With all this in mind, many citizens struggle to identify with Europe as a whole, but think of themselves in the nation-state framework, or even prefer to go further by insisting on a particular region of their own country (as in the case of the controversial boundary between northern and southern Italy). Aware of the messages coming from the Brussels, but also individual states’ political and economic authorities, this interdisciplinary volume tackles the ever-popular question of (un)wanted Europeanness. Its contributors look at both historical and present perspectives, with the former being of crucial relevance in order to understand the current state of affairs. Notably, they tackle the dividing power of the core vs (semi-)periphery discourse, which has consequently left some EU as well as non-EU states highly perplexed about their position in the context of the European integrationist project. More precisely, while acknowledging the benefits of European integration, the authors remind us of the discriminatory discourses which seem to go hand-in-hand with the processes of Europeanization and democratization. With this in mind, they also question whether transnational solidarity amongst citizens – uninformed, easily manipulated, and therefore disenchanted with EU affairs – is even possible. The volume is broadly divided into three parts: Differentiation, Representation and Europeanization. In order to offer sound arguments with regard to divisions and collaboration between the core and the (semi-)periphery in Europe, each part benefits from a wealth of primary and secondary data. Moreover, in contrast to a number of volumes which focus on a specific state or region and consider developments within a rather limited timeframe, this volume covers a broader area and takes the historical perspective seriously. By doing so, it provides a solid foundation for comparative evaluation and rethinking of the one-size-fits-all approach (as it the case of the Europeanization and EU accession of the Western Balkans). It is this aspect that makes the volume relevant not only for students and academics, but also for policymakers and more general readership. Table of Contents Preface and Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations (Introduction) The Threatening Other? Branislav Radeljić (University of East London, United Kingdom) 　 Part One: DIFFERENTIATION Mapping East-Central Europe: The Pursuit of France’s Milieu Goals (1871–1925) Marius Mitrache (Babeş-Bolyai University, Romania) Ukraine’s Regional Divisions in Political Media Discourse Zhanna Mylogorodska (European Janusz Korczak Academy, Germany) Managing Ambivalence: An Interplay between the Wanted and Unwanted Aspects of Europeanization in Georgia Lika Tsuladze (Tbilisi State University, Georgia) Turkey and Europe: Eternal SuspenseKürşad Ertuğrul (Middle East Technical University, Turkey) Macedonian Political Struggle: A Never-ending Story? Tanja Karakamisheva-Jovanovska (Ss. Ciryl and Methodius University, Republic of North Macedonia) 　 Part Two: REPRESENTATION Distinct Europeanness: Rousseau vs. Wielhorski in the Debate about Poland Jan Květina (Metropolitan University Prague, Czech Republic) Pop Art or Pop Scam? Yugoslav Perceptions and Translations of American Pop Art in the 1960s Stefana Djokić (University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom) East Alterity, West Alterity: The Building of Polishness in Inteligencja’s Historical Narratives (1976–1991) María Cristina Álvarez González (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain) Moving beyond Nostalgia: Yugoslav Legacy through Heritage Commodification Senija Čaušević (SOAS University of London, United Kingdom) Regaining Dignity in Europe Zuzana Lučkay Mihalčinovaì (Technical University in Kosice, Slovak Republic) 　 Part Three: EUROPEANIZATION The Role of the European Union in Democratic Developments in the Baltic States Kristina Piilik (Berlin School of Business and Innovation, Germany) A European Failure? The European Union’s Policy towards Transnistria Keith Harrington (Maynooth University, Ireland) Rebuilding Bridges: Armenia-European Union Relations in the Wake of the Velvet Revolution Justin Tomczyk (Stanford University, United States) Can Albania Europeanize?Migena Pengili (University of Leeds, United Kingdom) Trajectory of Turkey’s integration into the European structures: Reflections from International Relations Elif Uzgören (Dokuz Eylül University, Turkey) 　 (Conclusion) What Does Europe Really Want? Branislav Radeljić (University of East London, United Kingdom) 　 Index About the Contributors weiterlesen