Culture for Europe: Struggles for Contemporary Meanings and Social Understandings of Europe Through Cultural Institutions, Festivals, and Art Projects
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The London School of Economics and Political Science Culture for Europe: Struggles for contemporary meanings and social understandings of Europe through cultural institutions, festivals, and art projects Roch Dunin-Wąsowicz A thesis submitted to the European Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Science for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy London 2015 2 Declaration I certify that this thesis I have presented for examination for the MPhil/PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of the author. I warrant that this authorization does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. I declare that this thesis consists of 93,959 words. Roch Dunin-Wąsowicz January 5, 2015 3 Letter of Notification to Examiners Academic Year 2014/2015 Candidate Number: 2010023560 PhD in European Studies This candidate has a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD)/Neurodiverse condition (dyslexia). When marking this candidate’s work, please be aware that inconsistencies in written expression (possibly in syntax, punctuation, spelling, presentation) may be due to his condition. While the School’s Special Examinations Panel has agreed accommodations in exams (usually 25% additional time) for this student, his written expression may be particularly affected by working under timed conditions. Please see overleaf for guidance on marking the work of neurodiverse students. Thank you for your understanding and co-operation. For further information: Email [email protected] Moodle Dyslexia and Neurodiversity Marking exam scripts of students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) / Neurodiverse students Neurodiversity is an umbrella term which has largely replaced SpLD. It reflects neurological differences common in dyslexia, dyspraxia, Asperger’s syndrome and similar conditions. At LSE we are committed to the idea of different but equal. Neurodiverse students have achieved the entry requirements to gain access and usually do very well in course work. The ability to ‘see the bigger picture’ and make connections between ideas is often a strength which is reflected in contributions in class and course work. Under exam pressure it is harder to demonstrate these obvious abilities and a higher than typical degree of anxiety can make this worse. Clear exam questions and sympathetic marking will not compromise academic standards and will help neurodiverse students to show their understanding. The following general points are relevant to neurodiverse students with various diagnostic labels. More specific information can be found in Moodle in Dyslexia & Neurodiversity and at http://jarmin.com/demos/course/assessment/marking.html • Clearly written exam papers and exam instructions minimise confusion. 4 • Extra time is usually allocated for students with SpLD in exams to allow for the additional time it will often take to read and reread exam questions, to structure work, and to check spelling, punctuation and homophones. Students may also word process exams. Despite additional time however, the standard of presentation is not likely to be as good as it would be for work which has either been proofread or has been created using assistive technology with advanced spell check functions. • Ideas and understanding are to be demonstrated and allowances need to be made for presentation in a high pressured exam situation. • Handwriting is very likely to deteriorate under pressure and the student may well have very little experience of hand writing for three hours and are likely to use a computer for all coursework assignments. • Spelling, grammar and punctuation are likely to deteriorate under pressure. Marking should focus on content and the coherence of the argument and markers should avoid being distracted by errors they may find irritating. These errors are not reflective of the work that the student is able to produce when not operating under exam conditions. • Oral presentation under exam conditions may be characterised by errors of fluency and difficulty with finding the right word under pressure. Again it is important to disregard these presentational blips. • If the student is asked to produce a PowerPoint under pressure as part of an assessment, it may contain presentational errors which are less likely to appear when adequate time is allocated for proof reading. • The requirement to read aloud in front of others can be very anxiety provoking and should be avoided if at all possible. 5 Abstract This thesis investigates struggles for meanings and social understandings of Europe taking place through cultural institutions, festival sites, and art projects. I claim that culture is a social field where meanings of Europe are made. I argue that meanings of Europe that emerge in these cultural sites are not prior or given, but are a result of struggles between the actors involved. These meanings are to different degrees particular and autonomous, depending on the proximity of a given cultural site to the political structures of the state and the EU. This research identifies that actors who construct Europe’s meaning do so according to common patterns. Europe’s meanings evoke notions of unity – it is a symbol of coming together. At the same time, what different actors mean by Europe is an articulation of their particular circumstances and aspirations. There is not one Europe. This is confirmed by how Europe is understood by the immediate audiences of these cultural sites. It is perceived as relevant only when translated through familiar contexts – specific, local or national – and only then it is embraced. The background of the analysis is the significance of aesthetic culture in modernity, its role in making the nation, and its social imagining. This thesis examines the ways in which culture today demonstrates a similar capacity in regard to Europe, albeit in a micro scale. The methods employed are discourse and audience reception analysis, as well as participant observation. The empirical investigation comprises of a microanalysis of sites of cultural production. The case studies selected for this analysis, drawing on studies of cultural nationalism, include an online cultural outlet, an independent film festival and a transnational cultural festival, as well as a series of state commissioned contemporary artworks, all of which claim to be European in one way or another. 6 Acknowledgements It is often said that a PhD is a journey, of both professional and personal cultivation. In my experience it is difficult to ascertain which one is primary and which is secondary. I know, however, that personally I have been very lucky to have had the unquestioned support of my family throughout this time: my mother Maria, father Tomasz, grandparents Danuta and Marek, Jadwiga and Gustaw, as well as my father’s wife Małgorzata, together with my brother Michał. All of whom I’m very thankful to for their encouragement and for coping with me when I was most difficult. The thesis itself, however, is an outcome of a scholarly pursuit, which is as much individual as it is collaborative. Therefore, first I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to my doctoral studies supervisors: Professors Damian Chalmers and Dr Jonathan White – for their patience, guidance, and insightful critique throughout the programme. Thanks to them I have been continuously aspiring to achieve academic rigour, establish genuine independence of thought process, and attain clarity of argumentation. I am forever thankful to them for helping me accomplish this personal and professional achievement that is a doctorate. Moreover, I would like to thank Professor Maurice Fraser and Dr Alain Pottage, who have been instrumental to the progression of my studies at the LSE. However, my academic journey had begun much earlier at Eugene Lang College and the New School for Social Research. For this and many other reasons, I would like to express special and most sincere thanks to Professor Elżbieta Matynia for her academic mentorship and friendship, which have no equal. My sincere thanks go also to Professors Jeffrey Goldfarb and Andrew Arato, and Dean Robert Kostrzewa for their help and encouragement during my graduate studies at the NSSR. I have also been 7 blessed with the advice and support of Dr James Bjork of King College London; inspirations provided by Dr Tomasz Kitliński and Dr Paweł Leszkowicz; helpful feedback from Professor Hellen Wallace and Dr Abby Innes; as well as a one of kind insight into the studies of nationalism offered by Professor John Breuilly and Dr John Hutchinson from the LSE Government Department. The metaphor of a journey is particularly apt in my case because I have been lucky to experience an amazing educational voyage from Warsaw, through New York, to London, with each city becoming forever present in my life, remaining a source of lasting inspirations, and blessing me with the people whom I met there. First, I want thank my dear Warsaw friends, with whom a share a difficult yet enduring love for my hometown and who have contributed to my personal and professional growth: Dorota Hemi for ensuring I’m properly brought up, Natalia Bugalska and Mateusz Hładki for great high school years at Bednarska (and after), Kacper Studencki for the refuge I always have at Kryniczna when it’s most needed, and Natalia