Introduction: European Encounters. Intellectual Exchange and the Rethinking of Europe (1914-1945)

This introductory chapter explores the concepts of intellectual 'encounter' and 'exchange' that are central in this volume. It addresses theoretical and methodological issues related to historical research on the interwar period as an age of intense cultural exchange among writers, artists and academics who are directly or indirectly engaged with the reevaluation of the concept 'Europe'. The transnational perspective is offered as a tool for analyzing cross-border encounters within a European context. Europe is presented here as both an idea and a zone of intellectual exchange. More specifically, the concepts of European 'spaces' and 'Europeanization' are used to study the relevance of encounters and exchange for the rethinking of Europe.