Central Europe as an imagined region

Abstract

The article deals with the conception of Central Europe in the perspective of clash of civilizations. The author's major thesis is the following: Central Europe is central being the centre of fight for European values including Western Christianity, liberalism, democracy, justice, and historical memory. The minor theses are the following: 1) the very notion of Central Europe is inseparable from its moral content, i.e. from imagined values to be obliged as maximas of life in a certain life‐world; 2) Central Europe serves as the becoming of Europe's identity and vice versa, the identity of Central Europe depends on contrary parts of imagined Europe. The author considers Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) as a historical rim of European civilization and the area for the becoming of Central Europe.