DIOSCURI Eastern Enlargement - Western Enlargement: Cultural Encounters in the European Economy and Society After the Accession Presented by Violetta Zentai Central European University, Hungary

DIOSCURI starting point The project focuses on current encounters in Europe to predict the convergence between the twin economic cultures of the “East” and the “West”. Instead of relying on a simplistic scheme, in which the “strong Western” culture devours the “weak Eastern” one, a great variety of lasting cultural hybrids in economic and social behavior is expected. Thus, Eastern Enlargement will be studied in conjunction with its neglected counterpart, Western Enlargement.

DIOSCURI objectives 1 Identifying cultural encounters 2 Mapping cultural gaps and bridging strategies 3 Exploring enduring conflicts and win-win situations 4 Assessing the Enlargement process from a beyond-the- acquis perspective 5 Confronting the populist rhetoric of contamination

DIOSCURI what to avoid? 1 Simplistic view of opposing “Eastern” and “Western” cultures 2 Identification of cultures with nations 3 Hierarchization of the two cultures (orientalism within Europe) 4 Seeing the Accession as bringing sudden cultural change

DIOSCURI countries & fields fields of study entrepreneurship governance knowledge production countries new member states: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia future accession states: Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro member state: Austria

DIOSCURI methodology qualitative semi-structured interviews, focus group meetings, participant observation, media reviews comparative common framework and methodology, similar cases in different local contexts, thematic comparative analysis interdisciplinary sociology, political economy, history, political science, anthropology, cultural studies, social policy case-oriented distinctive sites of cultural encounters identified in each of the three major fields, system- and individual level observations organized around institutional narratives

DIOSCURI participants Center for Policy Studies, Central European University coordinator Institut für die Wissen- schaften vom Menschen Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Public Affairs Centre for Theoretical Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana Centre for Advanced Study Foundation Center for Public Policies Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar Pro et Contra Center for Globalization Hungary Austria Czech Republic Poland Slovenia Bulgaria Romania Croatia Serbia and Montenegro

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