Culture as a key factor within Western societies and a political tool for the European Union
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7203/eutopias.1.18443Keywords:
European culture, culture and politics, european union, european citizenship
Abstract
What could be more antithetical than the alliance of the words “culture” and “political power”? Yet, for over fifty years, the process of European integration has been linking these opposing concepts: Europe, which is too often considered in economic terms, is first and foremost a cultural entity. European culture, ‘a sort of UFO’¹ for most Europeans has become a major political and philosophical issue. Given their political and strategic importance so-called ‘geo-cultural’ issues have been called upon to constitute, along with geopolitical and economic issues, a governance axis. The European Union’s current mode of cultural action, intrinsic to national policies, is unable to address these issues. Indeed the EU should completely rethink its conception and political implication of culture, and recognize its great importance, both for the success of European integration, and for the new civic relationships which are developing today in our local, national and global communities.
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