Cultures and identities in the EU

The course questions the concept and realities of European identity. It sheds a light on what we understand and promote as European culture(s). It deals with the variety of European policies on culture, memory and the media. It analyses the main tools and methods used by the European political system in order to establish and/or increase its legitimacy.

The main objective of the course is to critically assess how European societies interact with and adapt to the supranational and transnational policies produced by the EU. To what extent are collective and individual beliefs, belongings, values and representations remodeled – or not- by the existence of European Union ? Is the European Union an imagined community in the making? In order to answer this delicate question, one needs to disentangle the complex relationship between notions of identity, memory, heritage, and culture.

In the first half of the course, students will be taught how to critically explore the formation of diverse identities and cultures in Europe. Then, the topic of European public sphere and communicational challenges will be addressed.