Becoming “European”? Interpretations of Cultural Heritage in European Capitals of Culture
Becoming “European”? Interpretations of Cultural Heritage in European Capitals of Culture

Summary/Abstract: This article focusses on the way that the European Capitals of Culture programme was negotiated in Sibiu (also called Hermannstadt or Nagyszeben) in 2007. Following the approach of urban anthropology, the city itself stands at the centre of attention, highlighting material changes in the urban space, the discourse on cultural heritage, and the roles of the different institutions involved in the context of Sibiu’s campaign to be the “City of Culture – City of Cultures”. By looking at the various understandings of authenticity, the clash between individual rights and collective conceptions in heritage debates can be exemplified. Particular attention is paid to the strategies of “self-culturalization” that characterize the process of becoming a European capital of culture. I will also demonstrate that economic, political, and administrative questions were discussed through the lens of culture and under European auspices. In this context, the EU’s way of governing Europe becomes obvious and the strategies of cultural governance are stressed.

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