Abstract

The concept of Eastern Europe was constructed during Enlightenment in order to solidify and purify the idea of Western Europe. The essay proposes that today the notion of Eastern Europe can be reclaimed: although traceable to a specific geographical region, Eastern Europe cannot be reduced to geopolitical and economic categories. It is rather a way of being that Heraclitus traces out with his aphorism “I went in search for myself.” Challenging the dichotomy between the West and the non-West, Eastern Europe provides a vantage point from which we can approach philosophical and political problems in new ways. The essay relies on the philosophical concepts developed by Heraclitus, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Merab Mamardashvili.