From Postcommunist “Transition” to the “Doorstep of Europe”?: Euroorientalisms in Southern Albania

Abstract

Prispevek pojasnjuje, kako sta termin tranzicija, ki je bil še do nedavnega pogost v političnem in medijskem diskurzu kot tudi v vsakdanjih pogovorih ljudi v Albaniji, nadomestila izraza Evropa in/ali EU. V številnih pogovorih in diskurzih sta pogosto sinonimna, njun pomen pa implicira modernost, družbeni in ekonomski razvoj ter splošno blaginjo. Prek diskurzivnega mehanizma »evroorientalizmov« članek prikaže, kako posamezniki z vizijami in podobami o Evropi in EU pogosto nadomeščajo negotovo in nepredvidljivo sedanjost ter nenehno opredeljujejo zgodovinski in politični položaj Albanije na simbolnem zemljevidu Evrope. Njen položaj kot tudi položaj Evrope sta tako pomnožena in se redefinirata. Pomenska vrzel »Evrope« se polni z dvoumji, ki na eni strani izražajo »željo po Evropi«, na drugi pa »obrambo pred ne-Evropo«. Drsenje med Evropo in ne-Evropo oz. med središčem in obrobjem ustvarja Albanijo kot »relativno lokacijo«, ki v simbolni geografiji nikoli ni trdna in določena, temveč prej spremenljiva. *** Nowadays, the term transition that was seldom used in the political and media discourse as well as in the daily talk of people living in Albania is substituted with the term Europe or EU. According to peoples' conversations and discourses both terms are often used as synonyms and their meanings pertain to modernity, social and economic development and general well being. With the reference to the discursive mechanism of »euroorientalisms« this paper illustrates and explains how peoples' feelings of uncertain and unsure present are replaced with their imaginaries and visions of Europe and EU and how these imaginaries are continuously shifting the historical and political location of Albania on the symbolic map of Europe. The location of Albania as well as Europe multiplies as it is redefined. The meaning of Europe is filled with ambiguities pertaining to the wish of »accession to Europe« on the one hand and the »defence against non- Europe« on the other. Continuous shifting between Europe and non-Europe or between centre and periphery constitutes Albania as a »relative location«, which is never fixed and static but rather changing.