European Perceptions Research Articles

Unsuccessful Peace-making: the Mission of Francesco da Collo and Antonio de Conti to Moscow (1518-1519)

This article explores the peace mission of Francesco da Collo and Antonio de Conti, envoys of Emperor Maximilian I of the Holy Roman Empire, to Grand Prince Vasily III of Moscow in 1518–1519. The mission aimed to mediate between Moscow and the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth, seeking to align both states for a planned united Christian campaign against the Ottoman Empire, whose expansion in Southeastern Europe posed a serious threat. The study centers on da Collo’s report from the mission, which not only chronicles the negotiations but also provides rare insights into Russian diplomacy and courtly traditions of the early 16th century. The article underscores the critical role of ceremonial practices, such as receptions, banquets, and hunts, in the diplomatic culture of the period.Particular focus is given to da Collo's accounts of his interactions with Vasily III and his entourage, highlighting the crucial importance of personal meetings and informal contacts in the diplomatic process of the time. Despite the envoys' efforts, the mission achieved only a temporary one-year truce, with insurmountable barriers to a comprehensive peace including territorial disputes—especially over the control of Smolensk—and the issue of repatriating Russian prisoners of war from Poland.Furthermore, da Collo’s report serves as an early illustration of how Muscovy was constructed as an eastern, despotic power, offering one of the first examples of Russia being depicted as the “Other” in early modern European thought. The study sheds light on the complex dynamics of diplomacy in this era and reveals how these interactions contributed to the broader European perception of Russia as an alien and adversarial state.

Septoplasty During Primary Cleft Lip Reconstruction: A Historical Perspective and Scoping Review.

Traditional surgical approaches excluded septoplasty at primary cleft lip reconstruction due to concerns about restricted nasal and midfacial growth. Modern opinion in the treatment of cleft lip has increasingly employed primary septoplasty; this scoping review and historical perspective aims to chronicle the evolution of septoplasty in patients born with cleft lip and palate and discuss current evidence. The historical perspective explicitly contrasts American and European perceptions of septoplasty in cleft lip deformity and the competing anatomical theories of the role of the septum on midfacial and nasal growth. For the scoping review, articles were extracted from Embase, PubMed, and Medline, as well as manual searches of reference lists. Results were compiled, grouped, and appraised by date, outcomes, and historical significance. Inclusion criteria consisted of children who underwent primary septoplasty for any indication and were followed up on outcomes of facial growth and nasal function. Literature reviews, opinion articles, case reports, guidelines, or studies not available in English or online were excluded. Evolving anatomical theories relating to midfacial growth in the mid-late 20th century underpinned a progressive ideological shift on the safety and efficacy of septoplasty in children. This is supported by our scoping review, which included 23 articles mutually selected for inclusion by 2 blinded assessors. Several competing methods have been employed to measure endpoints on facial growth and nasal function, but generally indicate primary septoplasty is successful in improving nasal function and preserving midfacial growth. Perceptions towards septoplasty on facial growth in the pediatric population have transformed significantly and suggest a growing acceptance of primary septoplasty techniques in patients born with a cleft lip.

Introduction to the Special Multilingual Issue: European Perceptions and Care of Former Military Members from the Perspective of European Nation States

Introduction to the Special Multilingual Issue: European Perceptions and Care of Former Military Members from the Perspective of European Nation States

‘It’s not about the information, it’s about the situation’: understanding the misalignment between EU deterrence messaging and migrants’ narratives

ABSTRACT This article analyses the narratives of young people in the Gambia and of Afghan migrants in Turkey on the themes of migration and Europe as a place of destination. Based on extensive focus group and interview data, we show that these narratives (1) have a high degree of similarities across different contexts and (2) appear incongruent with, and largely unaffected by, the EU’s messages of deterrence in information campaigns. We explain this misalignment by referring to a classic sociological distinction between impressions ‘given’ and those ‘given off’. When the EU seeks to give an ‘impression’ in third countries (such as to be an unattractive place for irregular migrants), their messages compete with positive images of Europe provided through a myriad of other channels and information sources. To a large extent, perceptions of Europe among migrant communities are defined by positive impressions ‘given off’ through Europe’s history as a destination area and social media accounts of individual ‘success stories’ of diaspora members. The social and material rewards associated with migration further inform migrants’ narratives, as do the circumstances of both groups, which often push them towards leaving regardless of the risks this step involves.

Ukrainian Orthodox community - between Russia's war and European integration

The aim of this article is to examine the transformations that have occurred within the Ukrainian Orthodox community in response to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, within the broader context of Ukraine's aspirations for European integration. Specifically, it focuses on the changes and diversification of the overall perception of Europe as a political community and Ukraine's position within it, the conflicts arising from the implementation of this vision, and the adaptation of it within the church (using the example of the calendar reform introduced in 2023). The study primarily relies on contextual and discourse analyses of texts from the two largest Ukrainian Orthodox churches: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, as well as the inter-religious All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations.

Making of the Other: Critiquing Baloch Historiography

Orientalism is the critique of the European perspective about the creation of colonial discourse and this approach advocates that European colonialism has created a concept of “othering". The Occident and the Orient is a pure European construct, and it would see another world from the lens of Europe and give a verdict of being inferior about all those concepts, cultures and ideologies which are not in conformity with European perceptions. The present work is based on the colonial construction of the history of Balochistan, and colonial scholars had provided the landmark of historiography in Balochistan. These colonial scholars had derived their concepts of the cultures and histories of the indigenous people based on the official documents provided by the colonial masters. So, the primary premise of the colonial discourse was not to do academic research rather it was to control the indigenous people. This premise of colonial historiography was bequeathed after partition as the post-partition and indigenous scholars had followed the footsteps of colonial scholars especial in the theories of ethnic origins. The present work is a historiographical critique of colonial and post-independence historiography into Balochistan, and it has been endeavored to provide main themes of oriental historiography and its counter-narrative which based on a post-colonial perspective derived from primary and secondary sources. The paper is an attempt in opening of new debates in the historiography of peripheral regions like Balochistan and its an effort to shed light on the areas on which there is a historical silence.

FUNDAŢIA CULTURALĂ REGALĂ „PRINCIPELE CAROL” ŞI SATUL MODEL: SATUL DIOŞTI, JUDEŢUL ROMANAŢI

In the political background of the first half of the XX-th century, the king was perceived, in Romanian context, as a providential personage, a rescuer for the great problems the Romanian society was confronted to. The king’s perception decomposes into different variants according to the qualities of his real and symbolic person. The two representations of him, the real one the divine one, are retrieved in public opinion. Those are the first representation in the folklore imaginary. The king is a godlike person, a master and he has qualities that assessors themselves already give to him rescuer, retriever, sacrificer, thaumaturge, judge, warier etc.It is important that the Romanian perception of the king is related to the European perceptions of the emperors, for instance the German one. The peasants of Dioşti perceived, first, the image of Carol II as a rescuer and then other specific representations occur strategist, crusader, triumphal, judge and as the highest quality he was regarded as “pater patriae”.

China's investment in EU member-states’ seaports

The article focuses on the Chinese port investment in the EU countries and analyses the motivation and current situation behind it from the Chinese perspective as well as explains the European perception of investment and its future prospect. The study is based on the Chinese and European official documents and Chinese scholars' articles. In recent years, the number of Chinese port investment projects in European countries has been increasing, and the role of ports as hubs in China-EU economic and trade cooperation has become more prominent. However, the negative perception of Chinese port investment in the EU also gradually increases. The EU is concerned that Chinese port investments will challenge the market dominance of European companies in the port shipping sector and cause political division within the EU, even with far-reaching geopolitical implications and security problems. Chinese academics generally believe that China's investment in EU ports is purely a matter of its own economic and trade interests rather than security considerations, and advocate that China and EU should actively promote port cooperation, follow the path of spatial integration and integration of interests, and build a multi-party community of interests for China-EU port cooperation, and require Europe to abandon the direct influence of external factors and commit to fostering a positive interaction between China and EU. It is necessary for Europe to work towards an effective cooperation between China and the EU on economic development issues and political security issues instead of creating a malicious confrontation.

Perceptions of russians and europeans about gender roles in the context of the problem of gender inequality: a comparative analysis on the data of the European values study (EVS)

The article covers the study of ideas about gender roles in the context of the problem of gender inequality in European countries based on the data of the international sociological project European Values Study. Despite the changes that have taken place in the world over the past half century in the main areas of society, inequality between men and women is still part of global social inequality and remains an important problem of the modern world. Achieving gender equality in the modern world is recognised as a global priority. The purpose of the article was to compare the ideas of men and women about gender roles in Russia and Europe and to identify the factors influencing these ideas. The paper examines the relationship between respondents' perceptions of gender roles and gender inequality from the point of view of the gender-role approach, highlights the relationship between these perceptions and the level of gender inequality in various European countries, clarifies the factors influencing the level of patriarchy/egalitarianness of respondents' perceptions of gender roles. The results of the main international studies of gender inequality are also systematised, the results of the main modern sociological studies of ideas about gender roles are described. The author focuses on the sociological study of the problem, as well as on the quantitative analysis of data. The study shows that in most European countries the level of gender inequality coincides with the level of patriarchal ideas about gender roles. Women in general have more egalitarian ideas about gender roles than men. Higher education, paid work, high levels of qualifications and income increase the likelihood of egalitarian perceptions of gender roles. A high level of churchgoing, the presence of children and a registered marriage increase the likelihood of patriarchal ideas about gender roles.

Persia and the Enlightenment. Edited by Cyrus Masroori, Whitney Mannies, and John Christian Laursen

Cyrus Masroori, Whitney Mannies, and John Christian Laursen — all three scholars of political science — have brought together contributors from the United States, France, Spain, Italy, and Brazil to address a subject that has been drawing attention at least since Paul Hazard discussed Montesquieu’s Persians in La Crise de la conscience européenne (1680–1715) (Paris: Boivin, 1935). In the Introduction, Masroori and Mannies present theoretical diversity as the best approach to the multiplicity of connections between Persia and Enlightenment, also distancing themselves from Edward Said’s Orientalism. At the same time, drawing on the legacy of Foucault’s thinking, they suggest that the ‘significance of Persia to the Enlightenment may help us better understand the Enlightenment and modernity’ and define Enlightenment as an ‘effort to generate a new narrative of identity for Europe’ (pp. 9, 10). The volume thus argues for the primacy of representation and contributes to the study of how and why Europeans drew upon their perceptions of Persia to fight their many battles. Within this frame, the editors’ approach has been effective. Breadth of subject and methodology allow for some tours de force on well-known topics and on sources which will prove useful to the uninitiated reader: John Marshall’s essay on Persian tolerance; the article by Masroori and Laursen on European knowledge of Persia before the Enlightenment; Mannies’s discussion of Persia in the Encyclopédie; and Myrtille Méricam-Bourdet’s article on Voltaire and Persia. The book also makes space for excellent empirical research on little-known materials, as is the case with Rolando Minuti’s essay on European perceptions of Nādir Shāh, Masroori’s study of George Lyttelton’s Letters from a Persian (1735), and Erica J. Mannucci’s analysis of late-eighteenth-century French uses of Zoroastrians. Some of the interpretive perspectives also contribute to the revitalization of the research field. Minuti brings into play Reinhart Koselleck’s notion of Sattelzeit when analysing how shifting concepts of patriotism impacted on European political judgements about Nādir Shāh; Masroori and Mannucci show the potential of a balanced study of political circumstances and long-term intellectual developments; Mannucci and Mannies draw attention to the transition from allegorical, polemical, or satirical representations of Persia to the country’s embedding into historical narratives, although history itself is not neutral, as they acknowledge. However, the editors’ approach is also conducive to some weaknesses. Methodological diversity can give way to impressionism, as we find in Antônio Carlos dos Santos’s essay on the connections between travelling and tolerance. In the case of the otherwise masterly article by Marta García-Alonso on Pierre Bayle’s use of ‘Persian theology’, the Persian element is so elusive that the reader is left wondering whether specific reasons drew Enlightened Europe towards Persia, or whether Persia was just another manifestation of the exotic. Despite this, however, the volume is worth reading — especially by students of the French Enlightenment — since it offers a wealth of old and new material on how Enlightened Europe shaped itself by engaging with Persia, but also because it constitutes a step towards answering the difficult question of the specific value of Persia vis-à-vis other extra-European polities.

Cross-Cultural Communication and the Perception of Europeanness Among University Youth in Turkey

Turkey's candidacy for the European Union began with its application to the European Economic Community on July 31, 1959. The fact that the negotiations between Turkey and the European Union have not been concluded in the intervening years has led Turkish society to question its perspective on the EU. What does Europe mean for Turkey? Can Turkey's EU membership be realized? If so, when? In this study, university students in Turkey were asked about their views on Europe and the European Union. The study provides clues on how Generation Z in Turkey views the European Union and whether the long-awaited EU membership of Turkish society can finally be realized. Since the young people who participated in this research will enter working life in a few years and take part in decision-making positions in the country's administration, the findings of this research will also project Turkey's perception of Europe in the future.

Bibliophiles, Murderous Bookmen, and Mad Librarians by Robert Richmond Ellis

Reviewed by: Bibliophiles, Murderous Bookmen, and Mad Librarians by Robert Richmond Ellis Xabier Granja Ibarreche Ellis, Robert Richmond. Bibliophiles, Murderous Bookmen, and Mad Librarians. U of Toronto P, 2022. 320 pp. ISBN: 978-1487542368. This monograph explores the love of books as objects of desire and texts to be read from the point of view of a variety of Spanish authors. The cases analyzed throughout the volume emphasize a heightened awareness of a book's perceived impermanence. They present its physical manifestation and the text it contains as a tangible matter and an intangible spirit that are intertwined and experienced in rich and surprising ways. Robert Richmond Ellis engages with bibliophilia throughout Spanish history: from early modern strains that envisioned books as either a means to achieve personal fulfillment or to cultivate regional and national identities, to the early twentieth century tendency to form bibliographies, archives, and libraries. Ellis's book is structured around five sections which interweave perspectives that contrast bibliophilia (the love of books) and bibliomania (preoccupation with their acquisition and possession). This analytical range allows the author to explore the source materials from a variety of interpretive standpoints: a sociological lens to elucidate society's general attitudes towards books, a gendered division that painted women as biblioclasts (book destroyers), and a homosocial dynamic [End Page 153] that led some bibliophiles to the heteroerotic possession of books. In essence, Ellis presents the romantic bibliophile as a representative member of the old order of the aristocracy, a compiler of cultural knowledge that bolsters the creation of libraries as sources of a newly constructed national identity. The monograph also approaches more recent chronologies: it contends with the effects of the Industrial Revolution on book production, some bibliophiles' disdain for mass-production, the unforeseen consequences to bibliophilic practices that arose from historical events such as the Spanish Civil War, the potential of books as preservers of various representations of sexual minorities, and industry-wide shifts towards digital publication —which preserves texts but not their traditional physical containers. The first chapter explores a fictional tale of bibliomania about a murderous bookman in Barcelona, Fra Vicents, a monk turned bookseller who kills to procure rare, priceless editions of books. The story was published in Gazette as if it were real, driving conservatives and liberals to engage in contradictory sociopolitical debates about its popularity. Both Flaubert and Sartre entered this intellectual dialogue, but it was not until Miquel i Planas set his sights on it, as Ellis contends, that greater sociohistorical context was achieved. Planas was a promoter of the Catalan language due to his belief that "literature is what gives value to a language in the eyes of the world" (61). Ellis analyzes Planas's visual designs and illustrations, interprets them as his attempt to assert that the original story is in fact fictional, and emphasizes the intercultural exchange between Catalonia, France, and Spain his motifs inherently represent. The second chapter is centered on five individuals who embraced bibliophilia as a project for both personal fulfillment and national self-affirmation to "render a more living archive of the Spanish experience" (93). First, Ellis delves into Bartolomé José Gallardo's nostalgia for the books he lost, as an allegory of how the nation's heritage was crushed in military conflicts. Then he explores father and son Vicente and Pedro Salvá's outspoken criticism of the Church, royal absolutism, and the inquisition, as well as the troubles their stances caused them. Dionisio Hidalgo's criticism of Spain's lack of a methodically developed bibliography is also explored as evidence of the unfortunate "European perception of Spain as culturally deficient" (122); followed by Azorín's representations of Spanish intellectuals' crisis as they transitioned to modernity. The third chapter analyzes book-focused narratives by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Manuel Rivas, and Juan Goytisolo that portray how humans become nonentities when stripped off of the ability to know their past. Where Francoism violently erased aspects of multiple Spanish cultural identities, Ruis Zafón sought to include, inscribe, and preserve them. Similarly, Rivas saw how the Galician collective memory was endangered and recreated it, not only to reconstitute it but also to create a living Galician present. Goytisolo...

The Reasons behind Europe’s Double Standard Attitude toward Refugees from Mena and Ukraine

In the face of the European refugee crisis in 2015 and the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Europe has shown opposite attitudes towards two types of refugees. Europe seems to be more welcoming to Ukrainian refugees than it is to some MENA refugees. This study explores the reasons behind such “double standards” through religion, language, stereotypes of MENA, and Eurocentrism. The study results show that the double standard attitude of Europe towards MENA refugees and Ukrainian refugees is mainly reflected in the reports of the news media and the policies issued for refugees. The study points out that the relatively negative attitude towards MENA refugees in Europe stems from the contradiction between Islam and Christianity, the fundamental ethnic and linguistic connection between MENA and Ukrainians and Europeans, and the social construction of European perceptions of MENA. Ultimately, Eurocentrism allowed Europe to help its countrymen, the Ukrainian refugees. This study compared the differences between MENA refugees and Ukrainian refugees, laying a foundation for future research on refugee issues. Moreover, this study advocates equal humanitarian assistance to refugees from the perspective of a community of shared futures for mankind.

Two Perceptions of Süleyman’s ‘Magnificent’ Navy during the Later Italian Wars

Contemporary European perceptions of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent’s naval power inflated its actual strength. Using accounts of ambassadors and spies, this article juxtaposes the ‘fear of the Turk’ that captured Christian Europe’s imagination to the observation of the Ottoman navy. It will be argued that the sultan’s relationship with the North African corsairs and their judicious application of military power lent itself to exaggerated perceptions of Suleyman’s naval strength and his military reach.

A Genealogy of the Concept of Civilization (Medeniyet) in Ottoman Political Thought: A Homegrown Perception?

Since the first translation of the concept of civilization into Turkish as “medeniyet” in 1837 by Sadık Rıfat Pasha, the then Ottoman Ambassador to Vienna, this coinage has turned out to be an essential component of Turkish modernization. This paper aims to establish a genealogy of the concept of “medeniyet” to demonstrate the divergences of Ottoman perceptions in different periods throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It argues that civilization was first perceived by a group of Ottoman intellectuals as a tool to reach an ideal state of being (c. 1840-1860). The next generation of Ottoman intellectuals (c. 1860-1890) defined civilization as “the” ideal state of being, yet they had different views on the concept, particularly concerning the distinction between material and moral elements of civilization. Finally, the third generation of Ottoman intellectuals (c. 1890-1920), whose thoughts were more or less crystallized under three broad political currents labeled as Westernism, Islamism, and Turkism, had different and sometimes contradicting perceptions of civilization based on their political outlooks. By referring to the writings of these intellectuals, the paper will discuss central debates on civilization in the late Ottoman Empire, such as the singularity/plurality of civilization(s), the existence of Islamic civilization as an alternative to European civilization, the degree of importing from European civilization, and the distinction between culture and civilization. Moreover, it argues that the Turkish perception of “medeniyet” is different from the European perception of “civilization”; in other words, while the Ottoman perception of the concept of civilization is not homeborn, it is homegrown. Accordingly, Ottoman intellectuals not only divided the material and moral elements of civilization and opted for importing the former, but they also questioned the singularity and supremacy of European civilization by referring to “Islamic civilization” either as an extinct yet once-present form of civilization or as a potential rival to European civilization.

Divided but linked by faith: Brexit and UK Muslims’ attitudes towards Europe

While issues of race and diversity have significantly dominated the rhetoric of Brexit Leavers and have shaped Britons’ attitudes towards membership of the European Union (EU), ethnic and religious minority voters’ attitudes towards Brexit have received little investigation. This article aims to fill this research gap by focusing on Muslims. It examines what differentiates Muslim Remainers from Muslim Leavers by focusing on their motivations to vote for or against Brexit. Despite being the religious group that was the most supportive of EU membership, the EU referendum has also created identity divisions amongst Muslims and has shed light on their ambivalent attitudes towards Europe and the benefits of EU membership. Several cumulative and cross-cutting factors have polarised this group regarding EU membership, such as their different perceptions of Europe and European identity, as well as issues pertaining to discrimination and Islamophobia, immigration and the economy.We argue that, beyond the divisions, Muslims’ attitudes towards Brexit were strongly correlated with the concept of ‘linked fate’, with the religious paradigm being an important predictor of Muslims’ voting behaviour.

Eine Bewertung des REPowerEU-Plans – Energiewende trifft auf Geopolitik

fThe European Union (EU) has been facing an energy crisis since the autumn of 2021, which has been exacerbated by Russia’s attack on Ukraine, geopolitical tensions, and the climate crisis. The war in Ukraine has changed European perceptions of energy trade with Moscow. In May 2022, the EU announced the REPowerEU plan, which aims at reducing imports of Russian energy by diversifying trade partners, increasing energy efficiency, and accelerating the energy transition. This article analyses the main developments in EU climate and energy policy since 2021, with a focus on the REPowerEU plan. The main elements of the plan are investigated, including a preliminary assessment. The article argues that the war in Ukraine has led to an acceleration of policies to implement the energy transition in the EU. However, numerous challenges and contradictions exist, such as the EU’s quest of new and more polluting fossil fuel supplies in the short-run, which could lead to new forms of carbon lock-in.

:European Perceptions of China and Perspectives on the Belt and Road Initiative

Previous articleNext article No AccessReviewsEuropean Perceptions of China and Perspectives on the Belt and Road Initiative, edited by Stephen Rowley. Leiden: Brill, 2021. xiv+309 pp. US$166.00/€138.00 (cloth).Richard GhiasyRichard GhiasyLeiden University Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The China Journal Volume 89January 2023 Published on behalf of the Australian Centre on China in the World at the Australian National University Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/722874 Views: 6Total views on this site For permission to reuse, please contact [email protected]PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

The history of South Slavs in West European literature from the second half of the 17th century to the early 19th century

The history of South Slavs in West European literature from the second half of the 17th century to the early 19th century. The aim of this article is to present the most important issues related to West European perceptions of the history of South Slavs in the second half of the 18th and the early 19th century, a time of an increased interest in Slavic history, a process that ran parallel to the development of the Enlightenment perception of history. The analysis shows that in the second half of the 18th c. and the early19th c., in the face of the increasing weakness of Ottoman Turkey, the local Slavic communities were rediscovered in the Balkans. Although West European historiographies were familiar with them, the invention of new historical tools and contexts in the Age of Enlightenment resulted in a selective treatment thereof. It made it easy to consider South Slavs as uncivilised communities which, contrary to historical facts, remained at a primitive, tribal stage of development.

Gendering Public Diplomacy: Turkey and Europe in the 1930s

ABSTRACT This article scrutinizes the role of women’s rights and women actors in Turkey’s public diplomacy strategy in the 1930s and discusses whether and if so how it managed to change the long-standing European prejudices against Turkey. Accordingly, first, the article discusses the early reforms of the Turkish Republic and their European reception. Then, relying on critical discourse analysis, it examines two prominent cases; namely, Keriman Halis’ victory in the ‘Miss Universe’ beauty contest in 1932 and the organization of the 12th Congress of the International Alliance of Women in Istanbul in 1935, comparatively to observe how they resonated in Europe. The article will conclude by assessing whether the changing status of women in Turkish society has played a role in shifting the European perceptions of the newly established Turkish Republic.