Perceptions and Visibility of the European Union in India

The Indian literati’s perceptions of modern Europe have been the outcome of India’s colonial experience, the cultural encounter with the West and ‘a selective admiration of Europe. ¹ The idea of the ‘Other’ has different meanings and has to be contextualised both geographically and historically. ² Anglo-American imagery has dominated the media in India since independence. Contemporary Europe has, in fact, been studied and analysed only by elite elements of the Indian society. For most Indians, Europe remains an exotic destination for tourism. ³ They have considerable difficulties in comprehending the essential character of the European Union (EU). Most Indians generally confront the 3Ds — distant, difficult, different — in trying to comprehend the complex political and economic animal the EU is. ⁴ Despite the growth of civil society interaction and dialogue, the information deficit about the EU in India and vice versa still persists mostly because of mutual indifference and neglect. ⁵ There is ‘a permanent lack of mutual knowledge’ with Europe being still ‘marginal in the Indian collective memory’. ⁶ The lack of primary sources on Indian perceptions of the EU results in most existing information being ‘impressionistic, haphazard, ill-informed and lacking scientific empirical evidence’ on how Indian citizens and media perceive the EU. ⁷