STUDENTS' OPINIONS ON CENTRAL EUROPEAN LIVING 'IN THE BORDERLAND', I.E. WHAT CENTRAL EUROPEANS CONTRIBUTED TO UNITED EUROPE

Political instability and temporariness of borders, as well as cultural periphery and 'living' on the bulwark of 'proper' (Western) Europe are characteristic features of Central Europe that are intensively experienced by the inhabitants of this region. The experience of borderland unites the nations of Central Europe as well, especially Polish and Hungarian, for whom already mythical Borderland is not only a romantic symbol of past splendor but also a proof that living in borderland may be extremely rich and creative. Therefore, borderlandness is of double importance - it regards Central Europe as a whole, but also individual nations and countries classified as this part of Europe. The term of Central Europe returned to intellectual and political circulation at the end of the 1980s. It is connected with the following questions: what decides about Central Europe's specificity? Can we talk about common identity with regard to Central Europe? Can we talk about Europe which does not include 'second category' members or borders not to be crossed (not only in a geographical sense) three years after EU extension? The article presents the result of the auditorial survey devoted to the issues of Central Europe identity carried out among the students of six subjects - economics, sociology, European studies, political science and history.