Cultural Policy and Politics of Culture in Lithuania. Vilnius – European Capital of Culture 2009, an Anthropological View

Abstract

“European Capital of Culture” is one of the most effective and productive projects of European Union’s cultural policy. In 2009 this project was hosted by Vilnius, Lithuania. The designation of Vilnius coincided with the celebration of a national event, the millennium of the name “Lithuania”. In 2009 Lithuania was, after 20 years from the fall of USSR, on the international stage of European Union, breaking deeply with its soviet past and consolidating its EU membership. In this context European Capital of Culture’s project constitutes a mix between European instances and national rhetoric. While previous anthropological studies focused on the structural organization of the project “European Capital of Culture”, in this text more than to analyze and to evaluate the chosen programme, the events included and the costs, my point is to consider the general project in its proper historical, cultural, political and social context. Main subjects/objects of my research are those who give official representation of the events made through official documents and public statements, I mean politicians, bureaucrats, experts, journalists, artists and people involved directly in a different way. I also consider the interpretation and the feeling that common people will get from this event. The base of my research will be to keep the attention on the connection of this cultural event with political and economic field. I focus on a description of the event VECC and its role considering the general cultural policy of Lithuania and European policy to represent a common European identity based on cultural diversity.