European Concept Research Articles

Balkanization vs Europeanization: conceptual deconstruction

The article is dedicated to the deconstruction of the binary opposition between the concepts of “Balkanization” and “Europeanization”. The initial phase of deconstruction entails a critical examination of conventional conceptualizations that reflect power relations between Balkans and Europe. A particular emphasis is placed on the dominant perception of balkanization as a process of fragmentation and barbarization, which is a representation commonly depicted within Western strategic discourse. As an alternative, the authentic concept of balkanization, formulated by Yugoslav avant-guardists during the early twentieth century, is analysed. The avant-guard movement Zenitism proclaimed the slogan of the Balkanization of Europe and featured the figure of Barbarogenious-Decivilizer. This approach not only represents an inversion of the Western perspective on the Balkans, but also draws upon ideas of internationalism and class struggle, deriving inspiration from the experience of the Russian revolution. The concept of Europeanization is examined in both broad and narrow senses - as a notion of modernization and as transformations caused by the institutional influence of the European Union. The concept of europeanization, positioned as a positive project and vision of a better future, stands in contrast to the Balkan past ofthe region. With such as interpretation, the successful implementation ofthe europeanization agenda would entail the complete erasure of Balkan subjectivity and identity. Europeanization is conceptualized as a process of debalkanization. In the concluding phase of deconstruction, during the stage of“reassembly”, an alternative perception ofbalkanization is put forward. In accordance with the ideas of Zenitism and the political experience ofthe Balkan peoples' struggle for independence and the establishment of a common stated, balkanization is perceived as, on the one hand, resistance and rebellion; on the other hand, as a desire to overcome borders and internationalization. Accordingly, europeanization is perceived as a process of construction of homogeneous modern nation-states. It can be argued that fragmentation is indeed a consequence and essence of europeanization.

Деревна лісова біомаса: проблеми та перспективи сталого використання

The article is devoted to the study of the state, problems and prospects of ensuring the sustainable use of woody forest biomass. Most of the bioenergy resources used in Ukraine for energy production are woody forest biomass. At the same time, there is a dangerous tendency to exceed the use of woody forest biomass above its potential. The norms governing the use of woody forest biomass contain various normative legal acts of Ukraine. However, the general concept of “woody forest biomass” is not defined in domestic legislation. The definition of “forest biomass” is contained in Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the promotion of the use of energy fromrenewable sources of December 11, 2018. Besides, Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources of December 11, 2018 (RED II Directive) and its amendments (RED III Directive) – Directive (EU) 2023/2413 of the European Parliament and of the Council of October 18, 2023 amending Directive (EU) 2018/2001, Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 and Directive 98/70/EC as regards the promotion of energy from renewable sources, and repealing Council Directive (EU) 2015/652 contains criteria for the sustainability of forest biomass in the EU. The European concept and practice of close to nature silviculture is an important reference point for ensuring the sustainable use of woody forest biomass in Ukraine. A special (limited) approach is required for the harvesting and use of woody forest biomass, which is a component of the ecosystem. Among the main problems of ensuring the sustainable use of woody forest biomass are noncompliance with the sustainability criteria of woody forest biomass at all stages (from harvesting to consumption), burning of forest wood waste in the forest, non-compliance with the proper ratio between leaving dead wood in the forest and its harvesting for energy production etc. To ensure the sustainable use of woody forest biomass, it is important not only to implement relevant European standards into national legislation, in particular the criteria for the sustainability of forest biomass, but also to introduce European practices that are close to nature.

Strolling to Nothingness: Japanese tea gardens and the initiation of Bildung

Abstract Although the alienating journey into the unknown as the fundamental element of transformative education may have gained a paradigmatic expression in the German concept of Bildungsreise, it is neither a solely German or even European concept, nor is it a child of the 18th century: the transformative power of travelling has been acknowledged at least since antiquity in Europe, and comparable reflections and practices have evolved in other parts of the world. This article will introduce one of those examples that may, only on first view though, look quite distinct from what is suggested as Bildungsreise: the strolling on the roji (露地), the path through the tea garden, before entering the chashitsu (茶室), the tea room, to participate in chanoyu (茶の湯), the tea ceremony, as it found its classic form in 16th-century Japan. Discussing this Japanese practice will not only support an intercultural perspective on the educative nature of travel and the relevance of space for the theory and practice of transformative education or Bildung, but also—more relevant from a philosophical point of view—enable an analysis of the conceptual core of the idea of a transformative journey. As will be shown, far from being a special case of education or Bildung, this conceptual structure lies at the very heart of both.

Exploring the Legacy of Tibetan Mapmaking

At the 2019 International Conference on the History of Cartography (ICHC) in Amsterdam, the map historian Peter Barber stated in his ground-breaking keynote speech that ‘with a few exceptions, the emphasis in the traditional history of cartography [before 1980s] was on European mapping. In the age of European empires, it was assumed that, on grounds of technological skill as well as cultural superiority, European map making set the standard and that indigenous mapping in other parts of the world, with the partial exceptions of the medieval Arab world and China, was ipso facto inferior and hardly worth consideration.’ In recent decades the approach to the study of maps has changed and the field has been transformed. Researchers from different academic backgrounds have discovered the relevance of maps to their disciplines, and the primacy of the essentially European concepts of scale and accuracy as the sole criteria for assessing the quality of maps has been questioned. Finally, non-European indigenous mapping has been brought into the field. This paper makes a significant contribution to this development by presenting an important collection of Tibetan maps, namely those of the Harrer Collection held at the Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich, probably the largest corpus of Tibetan geographic regional maps outside of Tibet. For the first time, we show the entire set of maps and describe their cartographic characteristics. We also provide the Tibetan spelling, transliteration and translations for the numerous Tibetan inscriptions and explanations. We have endeavoured to study the maps using a comprehensive approach, and we discuss what we can learn from them in various respects: the human and geographic landscapes they show; their makers; the role they might have played within the historical context and the society in which they were produced; their circulation; and their role as historical sources.

JEWISH ANTAGONISM AS PORTRAYED BY HAMKA IN THE BOOK OF TAFSIR AL-AZHAR

Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah (Hamka) is widely recognized as a leading Muslim intellectual of 20th-century Indonesia, renowned for his extensive body of work, including both novels and Qur'anic exegesis. His tafsir has been the subject of considerable scholarly interest across Asia. The Qur'an contains numerous verses concerning the Jews, and as an exegete of the entire 30 juz of the Qur'an, Hamka offers a distinct interpretation of these verses. The 20th century was a period marked by significant global political upheaval, notably the establishment of Israel in 1948. The creation of the Israeli state had profound consequences for Muslims worldwide, intensifying anti-Jewish, anti-Zionist, and anti-Israel sentiments, which also permeated discourse in the United States and the United Kingdom. Within this context, several Islamic scholars began to integrate European concepts found in the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion," a document that portrays Jews as malevolent and conspiratorial figures. These ideas gradually infiltrated the field of Qur'anic exegesis, including Indonesian works, most prominently Hamka's Tafsir Al-Azhar, first published in 1965. Before this period, the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" had not influenced Qur'anic interpretation. This paper seeks to critically analyze the theme of Jewish conspiracy in Hamka's tafsir by tracing the origins of his arguments, identifying the presence of conspiratorial elements in his exegesis, and examining the extent to which Hamka's views converge with those of Sayyid Qutb. The study employs a library-based literature review utilizing a descriptive-analytical and critical approach. The findings reveal that Hamka strongly adheres to the conspiracy theory espoused in the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion," depicting Jews as aiming to establish a new world order, dominate the global economy, and control Hollywood and the media. Moreover, Hamka's interpretations are significantly shaped by Sayyid Qutb's concepts of Jahiliyyah (ignorance) and Hakimiyyah (sovereignty).

A Metaphor to Build Empires: Imitatio and the Politics of Representation in European Humanism

In Western criticism and philosophy, Renaissance discussions of imitation have often been seen as both a legacy of Greece and Rome, and as the foundation of modern theories of art and literature. This investigation shows that the discussions of imitation that spread throughout the Renaissance were indeed adopted from Latin Roman discussions of poetry and rhetoric, but they have no connection to the famous Greek philosophical concepts of mimesis/imitation that are found in the work of Plato and Aristotle. Indeed, European concepts of imitatio/ imitation, as this study shows, developed their conceptual potential before Plato’s and Aristotle’s discussions of mimesis became familiar in Europe. Furthermore, Renaissance discussions of imitation were not theories of art and literature, as is commonly believed. They were simply an educational pedagogy that organized the appropriation of the canons of description of classical Latin into the vernaculars. The peculiarity and the scale of this pedagogy become evident when located within its geopolitical context. In the early modern era, neither the dead Latin language nor the vernaculars were equipped to manage the wealth or the administrative and cultural needs of ascending European states. Like Rome at the height of its power, European states were emerging empires in need of a language and a culture. And just like the Romans resorted to the imitation of Greek masterpieces in order to develop their language, Europeans advocated the imitation of Latin masterpieces to develop their vernaculars. But while the Romans resorted to imitatio often with resentment and bitterness at the impossibility to match the Greek achievement, European humanists considered imitatio to have been a resounding success [sic]. By adopting the Roman practice of imitatio, European cultures appropriated and internalized Roman ambivalence without solving or even identifying it.

Coordinative Europeanization and Russia’s war of aggression: how crises shape Europeanization dynamics in EU foreign policy

AbstractThe European Union’s response to Russia’s war of aggression has run contrary to expectations of EU foreign policy inaction and incoherence as well as warnings of de-Europeanization and renationalization of foreign policy. Drawing on the concept of coordinative Europeanization, we argue that the response to the war has allowed for a more horizontal, cooperative decision-making process involving both member states and EU institutions, as well as a reversal of traditionally Western European-centric dynamics of horizontal Europeanization. With the aim of investigating these changes further, this paper relies on the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine as a case study to explore how crises shape Europeanization dynamics in EU foreign and security policy. Relying on primary and secondary sources as well as interviews with EU and national officials, we show how the coordinative Europeanization we have witnessed since the start of the war can be attributed to the characteristics of the crisis itself. In so doing, the paper contributes to the literature on Europeanization of foreign policy as well as to studies focusing on the effect of crises on the process of European integration.

"It's a fight - the whole personality of the patient to win." The development of concepts of psychosis in the Jewish Hospital in Warsaw, 1898-1943.

This study investigates the development of concepts of psychosis in the Jewish Hospital in Warsaw, within the context of social and historical processes to which the hospital was the subject and a broader scope of European concepts of psychosis. In the years 1898-1909, the first chief physician of the psychiatric ward, Adam Wizel, focused mainly on hysteria. The interest in psychoses was initiated by Maurycy Bornsztajn, who started to promote psychoanalytic ideas. The second decade of the functioning of the Jewish Hospital's psychiatric ward was marked by issues concerning the classification of psychoses. In the third decade, after Poland regained independence, psychosis became the main focus of the hospital's staff. Newly appointed psychiatrists, Gustaw Bychowski and Władysław Matecki, contributed substantially to the psychoanalytic understanding of psychosis. Bornsztajn continued to develop his psychoanalytically based concept of psychosis. Wizel changed his attitude toward psychoanalysis and acknowledged the importance of Freud's discoveries. Władysław Sterling contributed to the biological understanding of schizophrenia. In the last period, 1931-1943, the Jewish Hospital in Warsaw struggled with the consequences of the economic crisis in Poland, Wizel's death, and Bychowski's departure, which resulted in the reduced number of publications in the field of psychosis. Nevertheless, Bornsztajn managed to further develop his concept of somatopsychic schizophrenia and Matecki introduced the category of pseudo-neurotic schizophrenia. The psychoanalytic approach developed by Wizel, Bornsztajn, Bychowski, and Matecki was supplemented with other influences, especially phenomenology. Wizel, Bychowski, and Matecki were advocates of the psychoanalytic psychotherapy of psychotic patients.

Instrumenty unijnego wsparcia sektora kultury i sektora kreatywnego w okresie kryzysu migracyjnego (2015-2018) i pandemicznego (2020-2021)

INSTRUMENTS FOR EU SUPPORT TO THE CULTURAL AND CREATIVE SECTOR DURING THE MIGRATION (2015-2018) AND PANDEMIC (2020-2021) CRISES The migration and pandemic crises affected cultural and creative industries (CCIs) across Europe. The EU institutions reacted relatively quickly to the changes in the political landscape as a result of the waves of migration and to the need to assist cultural institutions and artists in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Union has proposed methods of support for artists and the arts that are supplementary to Member States. It is these EU cultural methods and instruments that are the subject of qualitative analysis, based on two research questions: 1). To what extent has the modification of instruments of support for the cultural and creative sectors (CCIs) had an impact on strengthening the European concept of intercultural dialogue? 2). Did the EU support instruments applied to the CCIs during the Covid-19 pandemic result in building the resilience of these areas? A qualitative analysis will be made of the European Union’s documents, reports and commissioned studies. The main research hypothesis of the analyses is: European crises contributed to the reconstruction of some of the substantive assumptions of programs dedicated to culture and creative industries, resulting in the widening of the field of influence of culture on other EU policies, reinforcing the principle of intersectorality.

Medieval European Witchcraft and the Perception of Women in Select Philippine Short Stories

This study addresses the persistent narrative of witchcraft-related violence in the contemporary era by delving into its historical root – the medieval practice of witch-hunts. It investigates gendered motifs linked to women accused of witchcraft and sorcery, using Morgan le Fay in Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur as a reference. By examining gender stereotypes, we aim to demonstrate how medieval European concepts of witchcraft and sorcery have become entrenched in modern perceptions of women. This investigation employs Philippine literary texts – The Witch by Edilberto Tiempo and May Day Eve by Nick Joaquin, characterising women exhibiting postcolonial dispositions. Our central hypothesis holds that these contemporary stories adapt the medieval classic. The findings point to the medieval traces in the characters of Minggay and Agueda, leading to their societal categorisation as metaphorical witches. Textual analysis exemplifies strategies such as “un/belonging” the self to demonstrate “herstory,” acknowledging one's beliefs to express innate tendencies, and challenging social structures to promote reclamation of oppressive structures. This study contributes to understanding the challenged “mythical” nature of women’s identity in the modern era. Hence, the adaptive platform of medieval European influence lends support to stabilising women’s positionality rather than their essentiality.

Siyaset or Politika?

Abstract In this article, we trace the diversification of Ottoman political vocabulary from the eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth in a time of dynastic restoration and administrative modernization. We focus particularly on the transformation of the concept siyâset (rule, politics) which had been in use in Muslim polities for centuries, and the emergence, in the late eighteenth century, of the word politika which has come to be used alongside siyâset since then. In making sense of this bifurcation, we demonstrate that the Ottoman elite conceptions of politics were not simply replaced by the European conceptions. Rather, the equivalence of siyâset and politika was clearly contested by Ottoman statesmen, and the political terminology of rule and administration evolved in tandem with the material transformation of the Ottoman dynasty and state.

Relationships in European history of love and family (reflection of a culturologist)

The article discusses the question of whether in European history it was possible to instill a love for the family tree, and the author understands both of these phenomena in a general way, stipulating the problematic nature of such an approach. Analyzing the formation of love in archaic culture, the concept of platonic love, the medieval concept of courtly love and the new European concepts of romantic love, the author comes to the conclusion that love could not be organically united with the family. He discusses the reasons for this, which have much to do with the discrepancy between the European individual and the family as a social institution. Accordingly, arguments from both psychology and sociology are used. In conclusion, the author’s “concept of creative love” is outlined.

Hegemony, Europeanization, and Migration Diplomacy: Case of the EU-Turkey Statement and Action Plan

ABSTRACT This article analyzes the Turkey Statement and Action Plan concerning the concept of hegemony, Europeanization, and migration diplomacy. In contrast to the mainstream literature, which exclusively concentrates on the idea of the Europeanization process and balance politics in its analysis of the deal, this study explains the deal with the perspective of hegemony and hegemonic stability theory, along with mentioning discourses of Turkey and EU officials. In other words, the Europeanization process with the migration crisis in 2016 led to—especially economic—hegemony, which resulted by consent, not coercion, in the relationship between Turkey and the EU. Based on the deal, externalization, trade relations and rhetoric of Turkey and the EU, the article concludes that the migration crisis established a based hegemony between Turkey and the EU on the subject of the migration crisis.

The working conditions of non-professional magistrates and the European concept of ‘worker’

This article provides an overview of the legislation on the status and working conditions of the different categories of non-professional magistrates, as utilised by the judiciary administration of European Member States. In this regard, a distinction is made between ‘lay judges’, non-professional judges cooperating in a judicial process on the basis of their perspective as normal citizens, and ‘honorary judges’, who cooperate in the adjudication with their specialist knowledge and experiences. Through the lens of the CJEU's ruling in UX, the article also provides an insight into whether, on the basis of the reported legislation, any particular category of honorary judges is susceptible of falling within the European concept of ‘worker’.

Decolonising the African doctorate: transforming the foundations of knowledge

Despite revolutions, ongoing student protests, and long-standing transformational efforts, African higher education remains steeped in a colonial model, with current structures, approaches, and purposes paralleling Western universities. The doctorate, the highest level of formal education one can attain, reflects this commitment to Western domination, relying upon European conceptions of knowledge to shape the entire research process. Thus, knowledge construction in higher education, and particularly in the African doctorate, has remained fixed to Eurocentrism. This conceptual article presents a critical race theory model to transform the African doctorate towards a social justice orientation, arguing for investments in race-conscious, Black affirming approaches that recognise doctoral researcher positionalities and African languages as ways to disrupt socio-political and racialised contexts. This transformation requires re-alignment of the entire research endeavour through an Ubuntu lens, with doctoral recipients engaging in training and support that embody antiracist, decolonial, and African Indigenous-affirming approaches.

Esotericism between Europe and East Asia: How the “Esoteric Distinction” Became a Structure in Cross-Cultural Interpretation

Abstract Different understandings of “esoteric” are the main subject and the demarcation line of several fields of study. However, the history of this term is either neglected or distorted by specific historiographical paradigms. Tracing European writings on China and Japan from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, this article demonstrates that “esoteric” language was central to scholarship on Asia, shaping common terms that remain in use today. By showing how the emergence and development of an “esoteric distinction” between teachings and practices was linked to cross-cultural interpretation and translingual practices, the article argues that this distinction was not a mere projection of European concepts, but rather the result of cultural exchanges that need to be carefully studied on a case-by-case basis within their concrete historical contexts. To better understand the negotiations of what many today would call “esotericism,” a decentered historiography is needed that considers the global history of general terms.

Geninka and Slavery: Jesuit Casuistry and Tokugawa Legislation on Japanese Bondage (1590s–1620s)

AbstractBased on Japanese and Portuguese sources, this paper aims at recovering local categories of bondage in order to identify mechanisms by which people were subjected to bonded labour in early modern Japan. The analysis focuses on crossing local forms of bondage, here referred to as genin, and the processes of subjecting individuals to this condition, the so-called called geninka, with the European notion of slavery and enslavement. Local forms of subjection to bondage are drawn from the analysis of early seventeenth-century Tokugawa legislation dedicated to the suppression of human trafficking networks. These documents use a number of labels such as genin, hōkōnin, wakatō, chūgen, hikan, and komono, all references to people subjected to various forms of bondage. At the same time, a crucial debate among members of the Society of Jesus in India offers the opportunity to scrutinise the application of the historical and legal European concept of slavery and enslavement to Japan, a region beyond the secular authority of colonial empires. Ultimately, slavery reveals itself as one of the many categories used by early modern actors to interpret and regulate labour arrangements in the budding Christian communities created by missionaries in the Iberian world.

Confucian Welfarism: Intellectual Origins of Solidarity for Health and Welfare Systems

Abstract Solidarity is presumed to underpin the redistributive health and welfare systems in modern democracies; however, it is often considered a Western—or more specifically, European—concept. While health and welfare systems have been transplanted successfully to many non-Western developed countries, whether the solidarity necessary for such systems exists or is intellectually available remains under debate. Using an East Asian country with the Confucian tradition as an illustrative case, I first argue that the Confucian tradition has special theoretical and sociological importance for health and welfare solidarity. Then, through investigating the classic Confucian writings, I propose transformed interpretations of the essential concepts of Confucian thought, namely filial piety, benevolent governance and the mandate of heaven. With these interpretations, the differentiated family-based solidarity and the people-rooted thought in Confucianism could be reimagined to fit with the modern liberal-democratic political regime and welfare arrangements. I call this model Confucian welfarism, which I argue could form the intellectual origins of solidarity for people who believe in or have an affinity to Confucian ethos.

Who Is an Artist? Identity, Individualism, and the Neoliberalism of the Art Complex

The fantasized artist-as-origin began as the quintessential figure manifesting Enlightenment European concepts of individual autonomy and sovereign subjectivity—and thus of identity and meaning as these come to define and situate human expression as well as securing educated, middle-class, European white male hegemony in the Euro-American context. While we think of this conventional figure of the straight white male artist as old-fashioned, as having been relentlessly critiqued since the mid-twentieth century by artists, often from a feminist, queer, anti-racist, or decolonial perspective, this article asserts that the artistic author still drives much of the discourse as well as underlying the money and status attached to visual art today. Citing key works by a range of contemporary artists who have challenged these value systems—Cassils, rafa esparza, James Luna, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, and Susan Silton—this article foregrounds the critique of whiteness and masculinity and the interrogation of capitalism and neoliberalism necessary to interrogating these structures of value attached to artistic authorship.

Literature as a Global Theory

This essay discusses the globalization of literature and its political implications, arguing that literature is not timeless or ahistorical but a modern invention deeply rooted in its historical, linguistic, and cultural context.I begin my arguments by pointing out that “literature” is not universal but a specifically European concept. In Japan, for example, the word “bungaku” (文学), which is translated as “literature”, had a different meaning before Soseki encountered English literature. Soseki confessed that he found it challenging to subsume Chinese classics and English literary works under a single definition of literature. This discrepancy between Chinese and English literature, Soseki argued, is because literature is not simply a collection of writings but a specific style of writing associated with modernity. Literature is not self-explanatory but requires a certain level of cultural literacy to understand. Therefore, the globalisation of literature is not simply a process of spreading European literary culture to other parts of the world. Instead, it adapts European literary forms and concepts to different cultural contexts. This process is often fraught with political implications, as it can involve imposing hegemonic cultural values on marginalized cultures. I conclude by arguing that there is no such thing as political literature, but only literary politics. The style of writing as such is the ambiguous process of modernisation. This means that literature is not simply a tool for political propaganda but rather a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that can be used to explore and challenge a wide range of political issues.