Heritages, identities and Europe: Exploring cultural forms and expressions

Traditional arts practices and festivals have attracted increasing and diverse attention in the European context since policymakers discovered ‘culture’ as a resource in the 1980s. The promotion of local and regional ‘heritage’ as a resource especially for tourism has been linked to the rise of neo-liberalism, which sees local culture and identity as assets if they can be harnessed to provide foundations for social and economic growth in the face of a decline in manufacturing. The link between heritage and identity has become a commonplace topic. Cultural traditions, being part of cultural heritages, are significant factors that shape local, regional, national and European identities. Music has long been seen as a key element of European heritage and identity, although that tends to be in the context of ‘high culture’. The economic potential of cultural heritage at a transnational level has been recognised by the European Commission.