Pan-Slavism and Slavophilia in Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe – Origins, Manifestations and Functions

This book explores the origins, manifestations, and functions of Pan-Slavism in contemporary Central and Eastern Europe. In particular, it argues that despite the extinction of Pan-Slavism as an articulated Romantic-era geopolitical ideology, a number of related discourses, metaphors, and emotions have spilled over into the mainstream debates and popular imagination. Using the term Slavophilia to capture the range of representations, the volume looks at how geopolitical discourses shape the identity and policies of a community. The book further provides a comparative analysis that covers a range of Slavic countries in order to understand how Pan-Slavism works and resonates across geographic and political contexts. It highlights the political use of Pan-Slavic and Slavophilic ideas that seeks to question and undermine Western democracy and supranational institutions and ideas, such as the EU.

Moderation: Florian Bieber