Heritage diplomacy through the lens of the European Capitals of Culture programme

ABSTRACT This article will contribute to the existing debates on heritage diplomacy. It will build on an understanding of heritage diplomacy through the lenses of decolonial thinking. The core case study is one of the main policy programmes for culture at the European level, the European Capital of Culture, which contributes to the building of a shared European Heritage. Whereas the opportunities for diplomacy work afforded by the programme itself will be considered, the analysis will mainly focus on the representation of colonial heritage in ECoC programmes. The article draws on work conducted in the EU-funded ECHOES project (European Colonial Heritage Modalities in Entangled Cities). The analysis presented will query why dissonant heritage, such as that of a colonial nature, is often left out of discussions of European heritage more generally. Lessons will be drawn on what the implications might be for advancing European heritage diplomacy and cultural policy.