The work deals with the concept of the “European East”, the reasons for its emergence and functions in the cultural and philosophical discourse of Western and Southern Europe. Particular attention is paid to the image of the Balkans: how it emerged in the European historical narrative and what political and cultural functions it performed. As a theoretical approach, the paper uses the concepts of Orientalism, as a tool of domination of the West over the East, and mental maps, as an imaginary system for ordering the surrounding reality. The author comes to the conclusion about the heterogeneous nature of the image of the “European East” and its ability to transform depending on the purpose of the social group using it.
orientalism; European East; narrative; discourse; image; mental maps; Balkanism; Serbia.