This paper is programmatic: it defines the concept of “phantom borders” and describes its heuristic potential. The proposed approach positions itself between structuralist methodologies that postulate stable social and cultural regional structures and deconstructive viewpoints that reject the former, while focusing on the discursive dimension of regions. The paper takes this tension as its point of departure. Viewed from a situational perspective, phantom borders are neither to be understood as immutable structures nor as purely discursive constructions, but rather as an outcome of the interaction between three interwoven levels, which are simultaneously: 1) imagined in mental maps and discourses, 2) experienced and perceived by the respective actors, and 3) shaped by everyday practices and continuously updated and implemented. Phantom borders are context sensitive. We argue that the topic of phantom borders is not only relevant for research on eastern Europe, but also for research in “new area studies” in general.

中文翻译：

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东欧的幻影边界：区域研究的新概念

这篇论文是程序化的：它定义了“幻影边界”的概念并描述了它的启发式潜力。所提出的方法将自己定位在假设稳定的社会和文化区域结构的结构主义方法论和拒绝前者的解构主义观点之间，同时关注区域的话语维度。本文以这种张力为出发点。从情境的角度来看，幻象边界既不能被理解为一成不变的结构，也不能被理解为纯粹的话语结构，而是三个相互交织的层次相互作用的结果，它们同时是：1）在心理地图和话语中想象，2）由各自的参与者体验和感知，以及 3) 由日常实践塑造并不断更新和实施。虚拟边框是上下文相关的。我们认为，幻境的主题不仅与东欧研究相关，而且总体上与“新领域研究”的研究相关。