Central European University’s
Center for European Union Research (CEUR)
cordially invites you to attend a public lecture in the context of the
CEUR Guest Lectures Series
Exhibiting Europe: Actors and Networks in the European Museum Field
by
Wolfram Kaiser
Professor of European Studies, University of Portsmouth
Chair: Thomas Fetzer, IRES/CEUR Gellner Room, CEU
5.20 p.m., Jan 24
Museums have traditionally played a crucial role in representing and communicating ideas of community, originally in a national context. Thus, institutions, actors and net- works, who hope to increase the cultural cohesion of the present-day European Union, currently invest many resources into “exhibiting Europe” more than hitherto in muse- ums across the EU. The paper will explore which actors work towards a Europeanisa- tion of the museum field and towards the strengthening of European historical narra- tives. It goes on to show how such narratives are becoming more transnational, although this phenomenon is largely limited to western Europe. However, there are narrow limits to the possible EUisation of narratives, and to the contribution of the transnationalisa- tion of museum narratives to enhancing the historical and cultural legitimacy of the EU.
