Donska A. Political Conceptualization of Europe in Contemporary Scientific Discourse.

The dissertation is focused on the detection and characteristic of political aspects in shaping of the concept of Europe in the scientific researches of the late XX - early XXI century. The author examines different characteristics and notions of the concept of Europe. It is explained that concept of Europe may be considered in terms of geography, religion, culture and politics. The main aim of this paper is to show the crucial role of politics in the defining concept of Europe. Among all aspects of the concept of Europe one might see that geographical discourse about Europe is the most predictable, but since the mid-twentieth century it's understood mostly in political terms. There are some aspects of the definition of Europe through politics. Firstly, political history makes a great influence on perception Europe as a political entity. Secondly, democracy, rule of law, civil society and human rights are the main characteristics of the European countries. Thirdly, Europe is seen as a space based on the principles of pluralism and diversity. Europe today is a cosmopolitan space, meaning that its specific social form characterized by the recognition of diversity in all its forms: national, cultural, religious, and above all political. Fourth, it is used to identify Europe with the European Union not only because of mass media reports, but also because the EU's government has a strong impact on the European continent. Europe is a conventionally constructed political project that is initiated and driven by the European Union. For the state to be European means to have full or associated membership in the EU, to promote common European values and law, at least to be presumed as a part of Europe by the EU.