Нашият проект предоставя иновативна подкрепа за университетски преподаватели и асистенти за това как да организират училища на колела в историята на Балканите и ЦИЕ, за да преодолеят съществуващите стереотипи и предразсъдъци.
Фон на проекта
The stereotypical perception of the Balkan, Eastern and Central European regions as potentially conflicting, post-communist, post-Soviet and overly Oriental (especially the Balkans) creates particular discomfort and imbalance in a general European aspect. It is this problematic view of the area that provokes the idea of a different approach and an attempt to destruct such overlapped perceptions. The impossibility of an overall neutral and mutually satisfactory reading of the history and policies of the region is something that is hardly doubtful. However, the possibility of building a more positive image through intense communication between predominantly young people is an approach that is not yet well defined and designed.
In changing Europe one of the biggest issues still is the stereotyped acceptance of “the Other”, of the one that is different, not familiar in a broader sense. This sounds even more justifiable when it comes to the understanding and attitudes directed to the Balkans and Central and Eastern Europe area. Although there is a great tradition of exploring and investigating the region, “Old” Europe still has its difficulties to understand this “New” part of itself. And yet it is ahead not just to understand it, but also to integrate it due to all EU integration processes, running throughout western parts of the Balkan Peninsula and Central and Eastern Europe.