European Capitals of Culture: Discourses of Europeanness in the cases of Valletta, Plovdiv and Galway

Cristina Clopot, Katerina Strani

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

4 Citations (Scopus)
121 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This chapter begins with a statement that Europe is represented by more than banknotes and economic shared spaces. The idea of the European Capitals of Culture (ECoC) project was shaped by Melina Mercouri, at the time the Greek Minister for Culture, who anticipated the idea at the centre of European Union (EU) rhetoric now: ‘unity in diversity’. Equally challenging and vague is the notion of ‘European heritage’ that the ECoC programmes aim to promote. To investigate the European Heritage themes and discourses of Europeanness that are used by Valletta, Plovdiv and Galway in the ECoC bids, and in particular elements of the Discourse Historical Approach. The topos of unity represents a further common theme, either as a topos in its own right, or as a sub-topos of heritage, realising in discourse the controversial adage of the EU ‘unity in diversity’.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHeritages, Identities and Europe
Subtitle of host publicationPerforming Identities
EditorsUllrich Kockel, Cristina Clopot, Baiba Tjarve, Máiréad Nic Craith
PublisherRoutledge
Chapter11
Pages156-172
Number of pages17
Edition1st
ISBN (Electronic)9780429202964
ISBN (Print)9780367186760
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Keywords

  • heritage
  • discourse analysis
  • Europe, Heritage, Discourse, Universality, Language

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cultural Studies

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