Essay Research

I started researching for my essay and found an incredibly relevant thesis from Irena Isbasescu at the University of Amsterdam discussing ‘The European Capitals of Culture: Toward a Common European Identity?”  As I approached this topic and even the entire cultural initiative imposed by the EU from a new perspective, I had many questions of how to structure and narrow my study. Isbasescu’s paper has already given me a great understanding of the benefits and shortcomings the ECC provides for its cities and the union as a whole and clues for writing my own paper.

She states in her introduction that she will first look at the theoretical ideas surrounding identity on a national and European level, then divulge into two case studies looking at Sibiu (2007 capital) and the Ruhr (2010 capital) to present an interesting comparison between the two capitals of culture. I find this structure to be very important for any study dealing with identity and would like to tackle some of the main concepts of her first part. In determining how effective the ECC has been in creating a European culture and shared European identity, identity needs to be adequately defined.

While her areas of focus do present interesting examples, because this is a history essay, I would like to bring the element of transformation into my analysis. As proposed before, I wanted to look at a city from 1985-1995, 1995-2005 and then 2005-2015. While the last city runs the risk of becoming too present, I think identifying and mapping the transformation of European Capitals of Culture over the three decades is crucial to understanding the innovation or limits of the EU.

Although I still have a lot of work ahead of me, this thesis has only furthered my interest in uncovering the creation of a European identity. As national borders are becoming more blurred and transnational ties are creating stronger connections, the ECC still seems to be an impressive initiative on behalf of the EU to insure a peaceful and progressive culture shared by its citizens.