europe without borders: questioning the idea of a common european identity

This paper aims to examine the effectiveness of the matrices of a common European identity in the European Union acts that promote this idea. This paper sets out the thesis that practical implementation of what is meant by the motto “Europe without borders” encounters at least two serious obstacles: the first related to the tendency of externalizing the violence and to see beyond the boundaries of the European Union, for example in the Balkans as another Europe, and the second is related to the asymmetry of the memory of Europe.Direct consequence of this situation is the sense of not belonging, marginalization and segregation of Europe. This thesis is examined by interpreting the implications of this sense in the process of creating cultural products in Macedonia. The ability to complete the project “Europe without borders” is considered in terms of participation of national identity and culture, seen through the analysis of artistic body of work by Milcho Manchevski (movies “Before the Rain” and “Dust”) and the literary opus by Tashko Georgievski (novels “Black Seed” and “Flat Land”). The phenomenon of outsourcing the violence which refers to the subject-object relationship in culture and the phenomenon of asymmetry memory is also examined. In conclusion, it`s suggested that if Europe desires to realize allied, shared European identity, Europe must propose advanced matrixes for that reason. In this context, every political decision must include ethical consideration.