Bittersweet Europe : : Albanian and Georgian Discourses on Europe, 1878-2008 / / Adrian Brisku.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Berghahn Books Complete eBook-Package 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Brisku, Adrian,
• Place / Publishing House: New York ;, Oxford : : Berghahn Books, , [2013]; ©2013
• Year of Publication: 2013
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (256 p.)

From the late nineteenth century to the post-communist period, Albanian and Georgian political and intellectual elites have attributed hopes to “Europe,” yet have also exhibited ambivalent attitudes that do not appear likely to vanish any time soon. Albanians and Georgians have evoked, experienced, and continue to speak of “Europe” according to a tense triadic entity—geopolitics, progress, culture—which has generated aspirations as well as delusions towards it and themselves. This unique dichotomy weaves a nuanced, historical account of a changing Europe, continuously marred by uncertainties that greatly affect these countries’ domestic politics as well as foreign policy decisions. A systematic and rich account of how Albanians and Georgians view Europe, this book offers a fresh perspective on the vast East/West literature and, more broadly, on European intellectual, cultural, and political history.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- List of Maps -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Notes on Text and Transliteration -- List of Abbreviations -- Chronology -- Introduction -- 1 Nationhood and Empire: A Tale of Historical and Ethnocultural Similarities and Differences -- 2 From Empire to Independence: Europe as the Future -- 3 The Nation-State in the Imperial/Supranational Shadow: The Apparent Decline of Europe -- 4 Communist Experiences in a Divided Europe -- 5 ‘Return to Europe’, ‘Closer to Europe’ Post‑communist Expectations -- Epilogue Is ‘Europe’ still the Future? -- Bibliography -- Index