Novi Sad, Serbia
This workshop is about how each of us perceives his or her national identity, and more specifically, how we identify others. Although we may know at most only a handful of people from Germany, Serbia or the Czech Republic, we have an image of the German, Montenegrin or Czech national character. There are certain temperamental attributes as being “typical” for certain nations, such as the German reputation for being meticulous, the Montenegrin reputation for laziness or the image of Czech as beer drinkers. We take these characteristics for granted although they may have little to do with the reality. Still, despite we know that such categorizations are stereotypes and generalizations, at the same time it cannot be denied that there are significant differences between Romanians and Austrians. Therefore, the aim of this workshop is to deconstruct stereotypes and myths surrounding various national identities and to question their truthfulness. The idea is to exchange a variety of perspectives on symbolic and discursive construction of national identities as well as European political and social processes. These perspectives will enable participants to gain cultural sensitivity and reflexivity, two crucial elements for successfully functioning in contemporary knowledge economies as well as global civil society. The aim of the workshop is also to allow young people from Danubian region to meet and discuss the cultural aspects of their countries and to enrich each others’ knowledge by introducing various perspectives.
To write your paper: please answer one or two of the questions below:
1. What is the future of nationalism and nationalist policies in the region?
2. How to fight discrimination against Roma, immigrants and other minority groups in the region? How to fight prejudices and stereotypes?
3. Is there a common Danubian/European identity possible? What would be the core values of a common identity of countries along the Danube?
If you want to participate send your paper to ster[at]ycdn.eu
