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This book explores how identities, public spheres and collective memories are being transformed in cross-border areas, contributing to the broad sociological context of Europeanization. Offering case studies on the German-Czech-Austrian, and Czech-Polish-German borderlands, the book introduces original primary data on cross-border cooperation. This data is interpreted using the concept of active borders, which approaches borders as a source of multicultural competence and cognitive capacity. In turn, the authors argue that Europeans need to treat borders, both territorial and symbolic, as specific cultural forms. Active borders allow an unprecedented level of cross-border cooperation and integration, and foster a better understanding of differences, rather than re-embedding them or constructing others. Accordingly, the authors contend that active borders promote more dynamic, open and resilient societies, and represent crucial prerequisites for the success of the European integration project

Intro -- Prologue: Identities-Memories-Languages-Borders -- Contents -- Introduction: Euroregions, Active Borders, and Europeanization -- 1 Why Nisa and Šumava Euroregions? -- 2 Structure and Methodology -- Active Borders and the Europeanization of the Public Sphere: How the Same Can Be Different and Vice Versa -- 1 Forms, Functions, and Changing Borders -- 2 Active Borders, Collective Identities, and Cultural Encounters -- 3 Active Borders and Positive Identities -- 4 Active Border, Our Unknown, and Civic Learning-Towards Democratic Integration -- 5 Active Borders, European Public Sphere, and Illustrative Support -- 6 Distinctioning Without Distanciating (Summary) -- Borders and Identity. The Place Where Europe Lives! -- 1 Demarcation of Surveyed Area, Data Sources, and Research Methodology -- 2 Borders in Perception of Key Actors of Cross-border Cooperation -- 3 Cross-border Cooperation and Typology of Mayors -- 3.1 Passive Pessimists (Cluster 1) -- 3.2 Passive Optimists (Cluster 2) -- 3.3 Active Optimists (Cluster 3) -- 3.4 Pragmatic Pessimists (Cluster 4) -- 4 Identity of Mayors as Key Prerequisite for Active Borders -- 4.1 The Roads to Europe Lead Across Borders: Summary -- Borders and Language. Minor Misunderstandings, Big Troubles, and the Fruits of Multilingualism -- 1 Demand for European Citizenship, or Zoon Politikon and Art of Agreement -- 2 Linguistic Asymmetry, or Why Germans Should also Move a Little Towards the Other Side -- 3 Language Killer, or How to Get Along with Your Neighbors -- 4 Europeanization of Homeland and Living World -- 5 Language Immersion-A Lot Can Be Achieved Through Children -- 6 Best Practices in Education of Language and Culture of Neighbors -- 6.1 Saxony Regional Office for Early Childhood Education in Neighboring Languages (LaNa) -- 6.2 Schkola -- 6.3 Bavaria: Gastschuljahr and Sprachkompetenzzentrum.

This article suggests that both territorial and symbolic borders ought to be treated as specific cultural forms enabling the exercise and practice of cross-border communication. The notion of active border is introduced as a nexus of the transnationalization of public spheres and identities in Europe. Active border is interpreted as a border that supports and produces both public criticism and social integration without generating antagonism toward those from "over borders." Contrary to active border, passive border entrenches stereotypical negative identities and cognitive foreclosures and is a significant hindrance in positive identities formation. The concept of active border contributes to the broad sociological context of Europeanization and transnational public spheres and identities formations in which questions about cultural change and plurality should be discussed. It tries to offer a novel interpretative perspective on processes of transnationalization in Europe and beyond. This article draws inspiration mainly from Edward Shils's typology of collective identities, Erik Erikson's concept of identity formation, and Gerard Delanty's typology of cultural encounters.

"The article argues that Europeans need to treat both territorial and symbolic borders as specific cultural forms which enable them to exercise and practise cross border communication. Such communication should allow a better understanding of differences rather than constructing and perpetuating them. The notion of 'active borders' is introduced as a concept which supports and produces social integration without generating antagonisms towards those 'behind borders'. Contrary to this, 'passive borders' entrench stereotypical negative identities, and create a significant hindrance in positive identities formation. The article draws Inspiration from Edwards Shils' typology of collective identities, Erik Erikson's concept of identity formation and Anthony Giddens' concept of active / passive trust." (author's abstract)

The article attempts to offer a framework for understanding the interdependence between modern civil society and the democratic state in its complexity. The author seeks inspiration mainly from two very significant sources—in Toqueville's social theory and in Giddens' theory of reflexive modernity. In the first stage the author summarises basic arguments in empirical discussions on the civil society concept. In the second stage he offers the overview of a robust normative perspective of the concept and, in the third stage, he tries to outline the complex interpretative framework for an empirical analysis of state–civil society relations. The author follows the ambition of overcoming to a certain extent the crucial sociological paradox between the macro- and micro-sociological approaches and considering both the functional-structural perspective and the empirical point of view of the civil society concept.