Economic discourses in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE): The dynamic flow of borders and identities

Bank Austria Creditanstalt

WU Vienna (earmarked funds)

Since 1989, borders and identities in Europe have been changing. The end of the division into East and West set European integration processes into motion with the aim of the ‘reunification’ of Europe. The undisputed engine driving these European reunification processes is business, just as for worldwide globalisation processes. Simultaneously these political and economic developments go together with the questioning of collective identities, which touch on nation states and geopolitical concepts from the times of the cold war, and make a process of the redefinition of identities necessary.The project directs its focus toward Central and Eastern Europe, as this lies at the centre of the described developments. From the premise that business does not recognise national boundaries and plays a key role in the surmounting of borders, the project sets its aim as the analysis of which collective identities are created in economic discourses in Central and Eastern Europe, and which (shifting) borders the sense of belonging collides with?In this respect, the question arises as to whether economic ties also lead on a discursive level to a unification of Europe beyond borders.For the analysis of the economic discourse in Central and Eastern Europe four countries have been selected which are characterised by their differing histories and present economic policy positions within Europe. Austria as an EU member, the Czech Republic as a soon to be member, Croatia as an applicant and Russia as a state for which the question of EU membership does not arise (for now). Through the methodology of discursive analysis, economic magazines from these countries will be analysed under the aspect of which identities and meanings manifest themselves within their pages. In a further research step similarities and differences in the processes of ‘selfing’ and ‘othering’ will be established on the basis of the four national studies.