Cultural Citizenship and the Creation of European Identity

This essay compares the concept of cultural citizenship, based on an anthropological study of Latino communities in the United States, with the proposal of European identity made by the European Union Administration during the past five years. Cultural citizenship and European identity are considered two contemporary and circulating discourses on the relationship between cultural identity and citizenship. Firstly, the essay explains what is to be understood by each. Secondly, it summarizes the main differences between the two and discusses each dimension. Finally, it concludes with a critique of the current European identity project.