The stigmatisation of Central Europe via (failed) socialisation narrative

Lovec, Marko (author), Kočí, Kateřina (author), Šabič, Zlatko (author)

This article builds on the criticism of the international socialisation narrative which mistakenly represents compliance as socialisation and recognises agency only to the extent it fails to comply. It pertains to the argument that such a narrative can lead to stigmatisation which reinforces social orders characterised by specific hierarchies of power and spatial relations. The example of EU member states from Central Europe (CE) that went from "star pupils of norm adoption" to "misbehaving children of Europe" serves as a case study. The research of literature treating CE countries as socialisees and international organisations (OSCE, NATO and EU) as socialisers shows two things. Firstly, it demonstrates that CE countries internalised norms even before they complied with norm-based rules, which challenges views that (under) socialisation was (is) an issue with these states. Secondly, it shows that non-compliance of the CE countries did not have much to do with non-acceptance of norms as such. It was rather related to hypersensitivity towards specific norms and rules in a context of multiple crises with asymmetric effects for the CE countries. In this process, the EU and CE used (non)compliance to reinforce their identities, thus creating stigma (the EU) and the attempt to resist it or even wear it as the source of pride (CE).

• Language: English
• Keywords: Evropska unija, Mednarodni odnosi, Geopolitika, Norme, Socializacija, Stigmatizacija, Srednja Evropa
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication version: Author Accepted Manuscript
• Publication date: 01.12.2021
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: Str. 890-909
• Numbering: Vol. 24, no. 4
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-138332
• UDC: 341.217:327(4-191.2)
• ISSN on article: 1408-6980
• DOI: 10.1057/s41268-021-00229-9
• COBISS.SI-ID: 75124739
• Publication date in RUL: 15.07.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of international relations and development
• Shortened title: J. int. relat. & dev.
• Publisher: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences, Centre of International Relations
• ISSN: 1408-6980
• COBISS.SI-ID: 76065792

Secondary language

• Language: English
• Keywords: European Union, International Relations, Geopolitics, Norms, Socialization, Stigmatization, Central Europe