The Concept of Heritage in the Construction of the European Cultural Identity
In: Multiculturalism: Critical and Inter-Disciplinary PerspectivesSearch for other papers by Tuuli Lähdesmäki in
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One of the main aims of the European Union has been to strengthen the unity of its member states in the areas of economics, trade and labour market. However, similar aims can also be found in the rhetoric of the EU cultural policy. The fundamental aim in the cultural policy of the EU is to emphasize the obvious cultural diversity of Europe, while looking for some underlying common elements which unify the various cultures in Europe. Through these common elements, the EU policy produces an imagined cultural community of Europe, which is ‘united in diversity’ as one of the slogans of the union states. This discourse characterizes various documents which are essential in the European cultural policy, such as the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Agenda for Culture and the EU’s decision on the European Capital of Culture program. On all levels of the EU’s cultural policy, the rhetoric of European cultural identity and its ‘unitedness in diversity’ is related with the ideas and practices of fostering common cultural heritage.