Is There an European Culture - Coursework Example

Running head: European culture European Culture Culture is a term which has much wider meanings than we anticipate. It is associated with somany parameters like religion, region, society, behaviour, ethics, politics, economy etc. People are often being proud of their culture and heritage. It is a common practice to label the culture based on the regions like the American culture, Asian culture, African culture etc irrespective of whether it is right or wrong. The existence of a European culture is also a hotly debated topic. This paper analyses briefly, whether a European culture is existing or not. Introduction “André Malraux defined culture as embodying a system of values within which we feel at ease and allowing us to communicate with each other” (Figel, p.4). In that respect we can safely say that Europe has a common culture. But the above definition seems to be not enough when we analyze culture in its deepest sense. “According to a recent Euro barometer poll, only one third of people in the UK feel both British and European, while two thirds think of themselves as being just British” (Figel,p.3) So it is clear that culture has so many dimensions than the one defined by Andre Malraux. “To quote one of the founding fathers of the EU, Jean Monnet: “If I could seize a fresh opportunity for the political integration of Europe, I would start from culture and not from the economy” (Dudt, p.3) The European culture consists of religions like Roman Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, Protestantism, Sunni Islam, Shia Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. All these cultural entities are different in their traditions, beliefs and ideologies. Catholic Christians are concentrated mainly in countries like, Italy, Vatican, France, Hungary, Poland etc. Turkey, Syria, Algeria like countries have Islam as the major religion whereas Israel has Judaism as the prominent religion. Orthodox Christians are heavily populated in countries like, Russia, Ukraine, Rumania, Bulgaria, Greece whereas Protestant Christians are staying in mainly in countries like Denmark, Germany, Finland, Sweden etc. Even the orthodox Christians, Catholics and the Protestant are different in their traditions and customs even though both of them accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. Same way, Islamic communities like the Shias and the Sunnis were also different in their beliefs and customs. In other words, Europe consists of a mixture of people who follow different religions and cultures and the concept about a unified European culture should be analyzed, keeping all the facts mentioned above. European culture analysis “There are cultural elements that we could broadly recognize as European, but that it is very difficult to define what they might have in common. Rather like an elephant in a way: it’s easier to recognize one than to define it” (Figel, p.3) One of the most common elements in the people of Europe is the colour of their skin. All the Europeans are white in colour because of the geographical peculiarities of this region. Another common cultural aspect we can see in Europeans is their life styles and food habits irrespective of their religious beliefs. Most of the Europeans are keen in enjoying their life by spending most of the money they earned by touring different places, drinking, singing, dancing etc. Politically, most of the European countries have similar regimes at present, unlike in the twentieth century. Till the latter half of the twentieth century, Europe witnessed different political regimes like communism and democracy. The destruction of the former communist led USSR has inspired other socialist countries like Germany, Bulgaria, and Poland to follow the path of Russia. At present, communism has been exhausted considerably so that the political barrier for the integration of the European region has been reduced considerably. In other words differences in political ideology have been reduced considerably at present in Europe which is a good sign for the cultural unification for the European countries. “Being European -- like being British -- cannot be defined by ethnicity or religion. Europe is all about multilayered loyalties -- the national and European overlying and interlocking with the local and the regional” (Figel, p.4) Most of the prominent religions and ethnic groups in the world are staying in different countries or regions of Europe. The British may have the majority Christians while Turkey may have Muslims as the major community. So identification of a European culture based on the religion is not possible at all because of the sharp contrast in beliefs and ideologies of these religions. The British always believe in their tradition and culture. The French on the other hand never sacrifice their cultural heritage for a unified cultural system. For example, French people try to use their native language French wherever possible even if they know how to speak English. In other words, both British and the French people are aware of their cultural identity and are not willing to sacrifice any of their traditional values on behalf of cultural unification. “Because culture is also to do with identity -- with how you think of yourself and your neighbors, those you feel at ease with and those you perhaps dont understand. And what you want to do together within a particular context” (Figel, p.3). “The "European Cultural Parliament" is a forum for European personalities in the fields of arts, culture and letters for dialogue, discussions and debate about crucial and burning issues of importance for European co-operation, European democracy and European culture” (European Cultural Parliament) The demolition of the Berlin wall is definitely a sign for the people’s thirst for cultural integration. Culture must be analysed based on the values, freedom, fairness, solidarity and tolerance. The integration of the European countries under one banner “The European Union” is a conscious effort to preserve the European culture even though it has certain contradictions. The common currency Euro, and common rules based on the exchange of goods, persons, etc by the European Union countries is a conscious effort to integrate the region in order to boost the economic growth. “The EU member states agreed to introduce a cultural component into the binding European treaty of Maastricht in 1991; they consequently allowed a small- far too small- European budget for culture and education; they have decided not to let culture and the arts fall prey to international market forces in the WTO negotiations” (Weringh) Religions and religious beliefs are the strongest obstacle in the path of the cultural unification of Europe apart from political and social differences. The whole world is divided over the issue of religion and religious beliefs and Europe is also not an exception. So achieving an absolute unification of European culture is not possible even in the distant future. But EU can try to reduce the gap between the social and economical differences between the member states by promoting strategies suitable for achieving the maximum possible cultural integration of the region. Conclusions In order to answer the question whether there exist a European culture or not, we have to define the term culture specifically. European Union and its activities are a conscious effort to integrate the whole region politically, culturally and economically. There are lot of similar elements in European culture; but the over emphasize given to religion and religious beliefs in the current world, created strong resistance to the cultural unification of Europe. References 1. European Cultural Parliament, Retrieved on 9 August 2009 from http://www.kulturparlament.com/ 2. Figel,Ján, 2006, Is there a European culture?, Retrieved on 9 August 2009 from http://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/press/doc/figel_lse_final1.pdf 3. Dudt, Simone, Is there a European cultural policy?, Retrieved on 9 August 2009 from http://www.emc-imc.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Press___News/musikforum.1.09_dudt_europ.kulturpolitik_engl.pdf 4. Weringh, Kathinka Dittrich van, 2005, Is there a European Identity? Retrieved on 9 August 2009 from http://www.ejop.org/archives/2005/02/is_there_a_euro_1.html Read More