In 2009, the European Cultural Foundation decided to explore what came to be called ‘New Narratives for Europe’.
Our questioning began with: if there are inspiring stories out there now, being shared by the people of Europe, what can these stories tell us? Who are telling these stories – and where and how are they telling them? And which of these narratives are inspiring – and perhaps even mobilising – for the younger generation of Europeans, both within and beyond the EU?
These questions were already in the air. That ‘Europe needs a story to tell’ is often heard in European political and intellectual circles. While the word ‘narratives’ has already been long used among social scientists and those from the art world, it is now emerging in political discourse.
