CROSSING CULTURAL-BOUNDARIES - OR HOW I BECAME AN EXPERT ON EAST EUROPEAN WOMEN OVERNIGHT

This essay takes a very personal look at Western assumptions and preconceptions of Eastern Europe. It argues that the notion of Eastern Europe which implies homogeneity, is absurd, in view of the cultural, religious, national, and linguistic differences between those states included under the general heading. The need to recognise-difference between Eastern European traditions and between East and West is seen as essential, and it is suggested that only by recognising fundamental differences, instead of arguing for a Utopian (and untenable) sense of sameness, will women East and West learn equally from each other.