ALTEREUROPE
Altereurope is one of the thematic collections of Alterlibrary, tackling the theme of “Europe” from an angle that decenters Europe for the creation of possible future.
Altereurope is a not yet existing place.
We invite you to imagine it.
Altereurope is an imaginary continent, an alterity to discover at the heart of our present day Europe in order to shape its possible futures.
Altereurope arises through a theoretical shift in the perspective we assume when looking at Europe.
This shift considers “otherness” and “alterities” that constitute Europe as its very core – renouncing to look for identitarian principles, a common origin and a homogeneous identity of Europe.
What if we tried to think about Europe, to narrate and visualise it as a space in which a plurality of threads meet and weave the fabric of its history?
What if we considered a continent - as the etymology of the word suggests - as a space that can embrace ever emerging, new coming multiplicities, rather than as an identitarian framework that includes the holders of an already written history?
We invite you to look at the sources in this collection as Renewable Sources, to regenerate your imaginary.
Looking at sources of Europe from an angle that decenters perceptions of origin and identity allows us to move beyond a Europe of nations, questions the borders of Europe and the perception of a conditional relation between language, people and state. It liberates the imagination from these narrowing concepts and opens a new horizon.
Altereurope thus proposes to embark on a journey across a continent to be imagined, to be shaped through the collective engagement of our speculative and creative faculties.
Practicing an Imagination of Alterity
We invite you to practice an alter-imagination moving from the center to the periphery, adopting the viewpoint of those excluded from Europe. In this way, imagination itself becomes a critical, subversive, transformative force...
Please navigate the collection by looking from a different point of view at the question, Where does Europe begin Where does Europe end?
