Criminal networks, unfortunate circumstances, or migratory projects? Researching sex trafficking from Eastern Europe

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darja Davydova
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Sex Work ◽  
Sex Trafficking ◽  
European Identity ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Eastern Border ◽  
Methodological Approaches

Eastern Europe constitutes a peripheral space of the European Union, in which political and symbolic belonging of the nations is constantly questioned. As the migration of Eastern Europeans challenges and redefines geographical and symbolic borders, sex trafficking emerges as a politicized issue related to the construction of the European identity and the surveillance of the borders. The research on sex trafficking is frequently employed by policy-makers in order to justify the increasing control of migration over the Eastern border. In this article, I explore the diversity of methodological approaches in recent research on migration for sex work from Eastern Europe and discuss its implications for maintaining physical and symbolic Eastern border of the European Union. I distinguish between different perspectives undertaken by researchers and demonstrate the relation between conceptualization of the problem of sex trafficking, methodological approaches, and the way Eastern Europe is described in research projects.

scholarly journals How do European Young Muslims View European Identity?

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 871-884
Author(s):  
Branislav Radeljić
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
European Economic Community ◽  
European Identity ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Economic Community ◽  
Muslim Identity ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
European Economic ◽  
Constructivist Perspective ◽  
Muslim Communities

This paper examines the situation in the European Union where the growing presence of Muslim communities has already taken place. The initial understanding of the then European Economic Community as Christian Democratic, thus as Catholic, is no longer valid. In fact, from a social constructivist perspective, the presence of Muslims has posed a challenge and led to numerous debates relating to what has been promoted as European identity. Accordingly, this qualitative paper focuses on the coexistence of the two identities and questions to what extent young, EU-born, Muslims are ready to accept European identity, or, by contrast, continue to cultivate their own Muslim identity. The paper argues that the young Muslims can be divided into three different groups – traditionalists, neo-traditionalists and liberals, a division that is easily ignored by the society and, more importantly, policy makers, who consider only the first category when portraying Islam as a serious challenge to European identity. Conclusively, the paper notes that bigger efforts are needed on behalf of both the Europeans and the Muslims, efforts that will lead to successful co-existence and validate the EU’s cosmopolitan approach towards its otherness.

scholarly journals SOCRATES Invades Central Europe

1998 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Joseph Slowinski
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
European Union ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
The European Union ◽  
European Union Policy ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Education And Employment ◽  
Current Reality

The objective of this article is to explore the current reality faced by higher education students in Central and Eastern Europe and to draw out the implications of this current reality for policy makers in the future. In the article, I explore the influence of transnational corporations' training programs on education as it currently pertains to Central and Eastern European higher education and employment. In addition, multinational corporate entities exercise influence on European Union policy through the role of lobby organizations and activities. I explore the influence of these practices on education with an emphasis on the emerging importance of Western language skills. In addition, I focus on the European Union and its efforts to expand into Central and Eastern Europe in order to provide a focal point for analysis.

Kryzys w Unii Europejskiej a tożsamość europejska

2016 ◽  
pp. 110-136
Author(s):  
Zbigniew B. Rudnicki
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Social Model ◽  
European Identity ◽  
The European Union ◽  
European Social Model ◽  
Gradual Development ◽  
Internal Relations ◽  
International Identity

The aim of this article is to show what impact the crisis in the European Union, along with the crisis in the euro zone at the forefront, had on European identity, interwoven with the identity of the European Union to such an extent that these terms are often handled as equivalent. Developments and crises situations which exert an influence on European identity were presented with respect to areas of particular importance that affect the way the European Union is identified within the community and abroad. Following issues were discussed: implications of the crisis for the European Union’s international identity, for the European social model (welfare state), for transnational identity (in internal relations) and for unity and solidarity in the European Union. In the conclusion, it is stated that the economic, political and social crises had undermined the gradual development of European / European Union identity among citizens and had an impact on its image in international relations.

scholarly journals Economic Development and Growth in Central and Eastern Europe

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 69-84
Author(s):  
Csilla Polster
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
European Union ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Migration Activity ◽  
Member States

The study investigates the economic growth in Central and Eastern Europe in the last 25 years. The economy can be regarded as a substantial topic in any country, but it is even more interesting in developing countries. One of the basic ideas of the European Union is the convergence between member states, namely the reduction of development disparities, which can be achieved through faster economic growth in less‑developed countries. Growth theory is one of the main topics in economics. Its significant importance is because the desire for development is one of the main driving forces of mankind. The aim of the study is to reveal the crucial differences and common features between the growth paths of the eleven Central and Eastern European member states of the European Union. After presenting growth theories, the growth performance of the examined Central and Eastern European member states is pinpointed. During the research, GDP per capita, population, migration, activity rate, employment rate, unemployment rate, foreign direct investment and foreign trade openness are considered.

scholarly journals The Symbols Role in the Creation of a European Identity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioana-Sabina Prisacariu
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Collective Identity ◽  
European Identity ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Constitutional Treaty ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
National Symbols ◽  
May Day ◽  
Education Culture

The present paper focuses on the symbolic aspects of the process of formation, sustainment, and change of identity in the European Union. We first establish the role of the symbolisms and symbols in forming links among European citizens and in shaping a European identity.We present a number of initiatives, which have been taken, aimed at forming a collective identity related to the concerns expressed in the recent years over the democratic deficit of the European Union. We consider Andonnino Reports especially significant in this sense through the recommendation of adopting Community symbols. After presenting other activities organized with this aim, in education, culture, and youth fields, we argue that the symbols established by the Constitutional Treaty are the most readily identifiable symbols of integration process.We consider important to have a theoretical presentation of the social and anthropological functions of the symbols. The role of the national symbols of any state is to provide an identity, having at the same time a unifying and a federating power. We show the political implication of the symbols at the level of European citizens. The citizens can be influenced by means of symbols and their symbolisms, to leave aside their differences and act in the common public good. We can conclude that the first important steps to emerging European Union as a new post-national political system (where the national interest coincides with the European interest) have been made. We emphasize how the European symbols such as the flag, the anthem, the motto, the currency, and the Europe Day help to make the European Union more legitimate in the eyes of its citizens by creating emotive images and rites.At the end of the paper, we describe the 9 May Day as a performance of a ritual festivity. We have in mind especially the capacity of this moment to act as a sequence of events within a fixed space and time and to involve simultaneously all stimuli. Our aim is to show how particular aspects of the process of construction of a European identity work in practice, in relation to the symbolic context of ideologies, images, and worldviews.

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