Nikos Papastergiadis speaks at the DiEM25 strategic meeting. arno-image. CC.In the context of growing frustration over the techno-financial determinism in the European political landscape that has cast veil upon veil over executive functions and facilitated the normalization of neo-liberal regimes, a new cosmopolitical movement was launched in Berlin – DiEM 25.
This movement provides us with a platform to rethink both the priorities of transnational systems of government and the possibilities for widening the frameworks for social emancipation. It is also a crucial moment to reflect on the existing cultural landscape and propose alternative ways for organizing cultural relations.
The European Union began as an economic project that sought political agreement. The idea of shared cultural interests was always in the background but too often just left behind as an afterthought. Leaving culture to the last is a mistake that Europe cannot afford to repeat. At the heart of the democratization of Europe is the recognition of both the diversity of cultures and the positive force of cultural interaction.
