Contested borders, contested identity: the case of regionalism in Southeast Europe

Abstract

Regionalism has become one of the prevailing trends in world politics. Regions are seen as proceeding from socio-economic linkages, but also from shared notions of belonging. There are various approaches to regional identity. While some focus on common culture, language, historical experience, others view regions as a sort of ‘imagined community’ or political constructs. This article takes up the latter view and argues that the redefinition of regional identity exemplified by the substitution of the term ‘Balkans’ with ‘Southeast Europe’ has played a crucial role in the cooperation initiatives since the mid-1990s. It explores schemes such as the South Eastern European Cooperation Process (SEECP) and the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe to highlighting two important conclusions. First, the Southeast European project has been an attempt to overcome the area's marginalization vis-à-vis the West. Second, the emergence of a coherent regional identity was inhibited by the impossibility to draw clear-cut borders in order to demarcate Southeast Europe.