Borders connecting and dividing - East meets West and the borders of the European Union

Central Europe is usually defined as a ‘cleavage’ between the East and the West, or as a conflict zone that was affected by two tendencies in its historical past; the idea of unity that implies a homogeneous region and resistance to these efforts, and the struggle for autonomy of the people living in Central Europe. Thus, this dual perception appears in its in-between position that allows adopting Western values while keeping Eastern traditions at the same time. The purpose of the paper is to examine whether the postmodern perception of borders, the problem of a “borderless Europe†, and the perception of Orientalism as a critical framework originally aimed at understanding Western (imperialist) mechanisms, can be adapted to grasp identity-building issues in our region. This paper aims to examine how the perception of “East†, and “Central†appears in the post-totalitarian world, the legacy of post-colonialism, and the growing geopolitical importance of orientation.