Europe Behind the Exhibition : A Study of European Identity in NEMO’s Statements

Abstract: The Network of European Museum Organisations (NEMO) was founded in 1992 withthe goal of facilitating cooperation between museums in Europe. Today, the networkworks closely with the European Union to advocate for museum professionals on aEuropean level. Its members, museums and museum organizations from countries in theCouncil of Europe, are heavily encouraged to take initiatives to improve jointinternational efforts. The repeated contacts of NEMO with the EU as well as their workto bring European museums together raise the question of the promotion of Europeanvalues and European identity: the hypothesis is that, in statements on the organization’swebpage, themes and patterns that coincide with the construction and defense ofEuropean identity will appear. To what extent does NEMO advocate for a Europeanidentity? How does it relate cultural heritage to European identity, and how is this relationrepresented in their dialogue with the EU? To answer the research questions, a qualitativedata analysis was conducted. This revealed, throughout the material, multiple instancesof NEMO reinforcing the principles of European values and European identity – and notjust in terms of exhibitions, but the people behind them as well: museum professionalsare incited to develop their own identity as well. Some of the arguments were reminiscentof Hobsbawm’s theories on the construction of nationalism. NEMO also defends cultureand cultural heritage as keystones of European identity, especially considering thevulnerability of the world of culture in situations of crisis. Therefore, NEMO uses culturalheritage to support the construction of a European identity among citizens, includingmuseum professionals; this relation is used as a foundation of their advocacy work at theEuropean level.