Cultural institutions in the crosswinds: navigating cultural democracy, illiberalism, and the role of libraries, archives, and museums in today's Europe

Lecture with Mariano Martín Zamorano, CECUPS, University of Barcelona

Abstract

The rise of illiberal democracies within the European Union has significantly reshaped the cultural and political landscape. The 2019 European Parliament elections underscored the growing influence of radical right parties, many of which were already entrenched at national levels. Since then, the alignment of many local and national governments with illiberal democratic principles (Zakaria, 1997; Bogaards, 2009) has become evident. The literature reveal that these regimes maintain electoral processes and other formal institutions of liberal democracy but systematically erode democratic pluralism and minority rights. In Europe, their cultural policies gained importance to reflect radical right-wing ideologies, employing culture and cultural discourses to consolidate power through populist strategies (Akkerman & Rooduijn, 2015; Jansen, 2015; Mudde, 2019).

In this scenario, illiberal cultural policies often promote corporatist mechanisms that aim to homogenize cultural expressions and reinforce conservative national identities (Dragićević Šešić, 2011; Almeida, 2017; Bozóki, 2017; Lewandowska, 2018). These strategies typically revolve around three key axes: constructing exclusionary national identities, marginalizing groups perceived as threats (such as feminist movements and immigrant communities), and exercising social control through indirect censorship (Bonet & Zamorano, 2021 Bordat-Chauvin & Zamorano, 2024). While there is growing literature on the cultural policies of illiberal regimes and governments (Bozóki, 2017; Rius-Ulldemolins et al., 2024), these analyses often overlook the roles of local cultural institutions in resisting or adapting to these transformations.

This communication will explore how local and proximity cultural institutions – such as libraries, archives, and museums—often foster democratic values and counteract the spread of far-right ideologies within the EU. These institutions play a critical role in mitigating key factors that facilitate radical right influence, including social isolation, which can lead to the radicalization of young individuals (Blee, 2012; McCauley & Moskalenko, 2017), or political demobilization around democratic values (Norris & Inglehart, 2019). By offering inclusive spaces for dialogue, cultural engagement, and critical thinking, they can strengthen civic resilience against authoritarian tendencies (Holden, 2006; Kranich, 2005; European Commission, 2023).

Moreover, in illiberal regimes, including Hungary and Poland, libraries, archives, and museums have often become arenas for contesting top-down impositions of illiberal cultural agendas^[1] (Bozóki, 2017; Bonet & Zamorano, 2021). For instance, despite legal reforms and resource reallocations aimed at reducing the autonomy of local governments and their cultural centres (Rydgren, 2018; Bozóki & Hegedűs, 2018), these spaces maintain close-to-citizens pockets of resistance. They serve as critical platforms for cultural pluralism, gender justice, community participation, and the defence of artistic freedoms, challenging the centralization of cultural narratives imposed by illiberal regimes.

This presentation will argue that safeguarding the autonomy and democratic potential of local proximity institutions is vital for countering illiberal trends in Europe. It will highlight examples of successful grassroots cultural initiatives and propose strategies for reinforcing the role of these institutions as bastions of cultural democracy. By doing so, it aims to contribute to the broader debate on the intersection of cultural policy, democracy, and the rising challenge of illiberalism in contemporary Europe.

 [1]     See, for instance, “Video of Polish artist Natalia LL eating a banana temporarily goes back on the show after protests over museum’s ‘censorship’” https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2019/04/30/video-of-polish-artist-natalia-ll-eating-a-banana-temporarily-goes-back-on-show-after-protests-over-museums-censorship?utm_source=chatgpt.com Also “From Censorship To Solidarity: The Surprising Consequences Of Hungary's LGBT Law” https://www.rferl.org/a/hungary-lgbt-law-censorship-solidarity/32800032.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com