European culture: freedom, heritage, innovation

• Autores: Maria Alesina
• Localización: Future Europe Journal, ISSN-e 2790-3354, ISSN 2790-3346, Nº. 4, 2024 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Future’s past: European culture in the age of digital innovation)
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Culture is a bridge between the past and the future. Artists are the first to perceive future trends even before they become visible to the eye. Yet nothing emerges out of a vacuum. Every creative genius, however disruptive and revolutionary, builds upon the legacy of the preceding generations. This inter-generational dialogue – as much as creative engagement with the changing environment – opens up new paradigms for our perception of the world and possibilities of the future.

    Today, we are facing a unique moment. On the one hand, the brutality of global socio-political developments resembles the pages of history which we thought were a thing of the past. On the other hand, we are standing on the brink of a truly new world where new technologies can either compete with human creativity or, on the contrary, allow it to reach previously unseen heights and horizons.

    At a time when the world is rushing headlong into the future, amid intensified geopolitical competition and existential challenges to democracy and liberal values, the cultural component of the European project has acquired new relevance and urgency. As Europe grapples with authoritarian forces seeking to stifle dissent and centralise power, both outside and inside the EU, the cultural and creative industries provide a powerful tool for fostering freedom and critical thinking, nurturing democratic resilience, and shaping a future where the vibrancy of human expression and creativity remains unbridled.