‘Constructive juxtaposition’ as a policy assemblage method: Towards an understanding of the European Union's heritage initiatives and the making of ‘European city’ ideals

Abstract

The policy assemblage approaches offer productive ways to understand how actors, institutions, and discourses interact to steer policies in different directions and produce new meanings and relations in society. However, they are disadvantaged by the lack of productive methodologies. This study addresses this gap by introducing the method of ‘constructive juxtaposition’ and engaging with an interdisciplinary approach to studying policy assemblages. This method facilitates a critical engagement in a single study, with, on the one hand, intended or unintended outcomes of policies or related instruments and, on the other hand, the understanding of the ways in which those outcomes are (re)produced in interplays between actors, institutions, and discourses in given contexts. The method of ‘constructive juxtaposition’ brings these two, often separate, research agendas into a productive dialogue. Building on the approaches and techniques of ‘studying through’ or ‘following’ policies, this method is based on the assumption that researching and exploring both sides of juxtaposition simultaneously bring a more comprehensive understanding of policy assemblages. By applying this method, this paper demonstrates how ‘European city’ ideals are produced in the interplay between actors, institutions, and discourses in the processes of implementation of the European Union's initiatives for designating common European heritage.