Constructing the European Cultural Space A Matter of Eurocentrism?

Since the 1970s and 1980s the European Union (EU) has invested in culture to thicken European identity. Through different ‘technologies of power’ the EU has installed shared approaches to culture meant to facilitate the creation of a European cultural space. This chapter examines the repercussions of this Europeanisation of culture and asks whether the appearance of the European cultural space signifies patterns of Eurocentrism? It will become clear that the answer is two-folded. EU intervention in culture is the one hand hegemonic, in the hands of a few, and seen through a Western normative lens. On the other hand, it provides a space in which actors can freely manoeuvre, strategically act, and be creative regarding its final interpretation.