Publisher's Synopsis
The revival of nationalist virulence in East Central Europe has aroused the interest of numerous observers - journalists, scholars and politicians alike. Thus far, much attention has been paid to today's manifestations of nationalism in the region and to their political consequences. "Vampires Unstaked", however, deals with the historic-cultural dimension of nationalism in the region. Especially since the emergence of 19th century nationalism, the manifold national character perceptions and self-images have stimulated all sorts of prejudices against ethnic communities and minorities in this part of Europe. The contributors to "Vampires Unstaked" not only analyze the origins, development and topical relevance of various national images, myths and stereotypes, both in as well as of East Central Europe, but also elaborate on the relationship between these "mental" constructs and the sphere of politics.;They attempt to establish the extent to which national myths and stereotypes influenced the decision-making process in domestic and international politics with regard to East Central Europe, and to answer the question as to why, how and to what degree decision-making made use of these ideas to reach their particular goals.
