Who were and who are the European other(s), and how have their socio-cultural circumstances been aesthetically expressed and discussed in works of literature and art in European history? Members of the interdisciplinary group of researchers "The Borders of Europe" address these questions in this book and shed new light on the notion of European transnational identity, self-conscience and exclusion. Making a mental, space-time journey across and beyond internal and external borders of Europe - moving from medieval times to the present, from Istanbul to the northernmost tip of Norway - the authors show how the dangerous dynamics of othering, estrangement, intolerance and hatred have become an inherent part of the continent's history.

European countries work together in crisis management, conflict prevention and many other aspects of security and defence policy. Closer cooperation in this policy arena seems to be the only viable way forward to address contemporary security challenges. Yet, despite the repeated interaction, fundamental assumptions about security and defence remain remarkably distinct across European nations. This book offers a comparative analysis of the security and defence policies of all 27 EU member states and Turkey, drawing on the concept of ‘strategic culture’, in order to examine the chances and obstacles for closer security and defence cooperation across the continent. Along the lines of a consistent analytical framework, international experts provide case studies of the current security and defence policies in Europe as well as their historical and cultural roots. ​