Antoaneta Balcheva
Occidentalism – rhetorical forms of self-identification
Summary
Being a subject of admiration, Western Europe and the ascendancy it exercises over the Balkan elites for many years imply the ambivalent manner in which they would treat the national values and universality, as well as their attitude towards the national goals and the liberal-democratic priorities. Rather than developing all-round figures and characters, a drive to create authentic models comprehending the process of modernization, starts to gain ground. Shaped up around several basic topoi, the image of the West acquires more incisive forms on the peninsular cartography, thus turning polarization a strategy for self-identification and definition of Other Europe.
