Unity through cultural diversity

Repeatedly there is being repeated at EU level the slogan "Unity through Diversity" as if cultural diversity can be sustained by an institutional set-up geared to maximize support for a particular understanding of how the economy can work within a global setting. To this belong as much the 'banking union' being proposed as remedy to the financial crisis which has been affecting Europe since 2008, as it is going to be an outcome of the Free Trade Treaty with the United States. The main political opposition and criticism of the FTT has been so far only the demand that culture, in particular film, is not treated like any other economic commodity, and therefore is exempted from rules and regulations which prohibit that the state or the European Union for this matter subsidizes these activities. It is crucial to see where 'cultural diversity' has gone astray amidst this way of handling the crisis and why the explanatory power of this concept does no justice to what would be a true diversity in terms of both individual expressions and dialogues between people. Instead culture has been adapted to the needs of the digital economy and made subject to distinct technologies as underlined by the programmes initiated by the EU not under its 'Creative Europe' 2014 - 2020 programme, but by its research programme called Horizon 2020. There can be found a call for making use of the past in such a way that cultural heritage has a positive impact upon the formation of a European identity. Although both terms, cultural heritage and identity, are complex and difficult to handle, policy wise, this attempt of the European Union reflects that decision makers have become increasingly worried by underlying trends e.g. Populism, extreme Right Wing forces, Localist movements and therefore altogether Anti-Europe.

Since upholding cultural diversity in Europe has to be considered in a review of policy linked to UNESCO with its major declaration on cultural diversity in 2005, a study would be needed to assess the state of affairs within Europe during the coming years from 2014 - 2020.

Note: A report of the 2013 conference held in Zagreb, on 3 - 4 June 2013 reflects diverse views on cultural policy goals, priorities and main challenges in the region of South East Europe. There were presented specific projects financed by UNESCO and other case-studies to exemplify the impact of the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and, in particular, on the development of specific cultural policies in the region. Participants expressed their interest for strengthening cooperation through formal and informal networking and establishing collaborative platforms, including the possibility of setting up national Coalitions for Cultural Diversity. Culturelink will follow up this with research and further going networking activities.

For full report, see http://www.culturelink.org/conf/culdev/culdevrpt.html

Pictures from the event are available at http://www.culturelink.org/conf/culdev/photo/index.html

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Unity through cultural diversity