The volume traces the ways in which ideas of Europeanness shaped discourses of inclusion and exclusion over the last centuries. The starting point is a basic tension inherent in any concept of Europe, i.e. that it links some set of cultural values to a space on the western fringe of the Asian landmass, but at the same time allows for a large degree of internal diversity, the boundaries of which are constantly shifting. The variety of forms how such mental maps underpinned notions of difference and belonging in the light of Europeanness are at the core of the book.

It brings together historical, literary, cultural, and art studies in exploring how topographies of Europe-related values figured in struggles over political domination and cultural hierarchies. The chapters focus on the relationships between imagined European centres and regions that have been regarded as being on the periphery of Europe: be it in geographical terms or in other respects such as political system, religious creed, or economic performance.

In a long-term view, the volume considers the enduring nature of the cognitive and normative patterns involved in this kind of mental mapping and thus makes an important contribution to the field of European studies.