Cultural heritage in the discourse of European institutions

'A common heritage' is a recurrent catchphrase in several conventions, declarations, guidelines and policy documents produced at the supranational European level by a number of institutional actors. The concept draws inspiration from UNESCO’s worldwide celebration of the 'outstanding universal value' of great heritage sites, whose property is seen to transcend national boundaries and belong to all humankind. However, as contemporary Europe has many histories, the discursive construction of a common heritage, which implies the reinvention of the past for present political uses, is understandably at odds with the shared experience of European citizenship as multifarious, when not divisive. Against the background of the most significant institutional milestones in Europe’s identity-building narratives, the study moves on to investigate a selection of official documents and cultural programs in which heritage is promoted as a tool for European integration. With the help of Critical Discourse Analysis and heritage studies, the aim is to retrace the conceivable developments of an instrumental concept that has become a strategic presence in the cultural policy of the European Union and is now identified as a key economic driver.