The battle of narratives and weaponization of cultural and historic heritage: EU cultural and heritage diplomacy in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine and hybrid interference

Abstract

The panel examines a new reality confronting the EU in the security domain – weaponisation and securitization of cultural and historical heritage in the context of the intensifying ‘battle of narratives’ in Europe, the EU’s neighbourhoods, and around the world. EEAS (2021) defines cultural heritage as ‘the resources inherited from the past in all forms and aspects – tangible, intangible and digital… managed by public and private bodies’. Addressing the call to explore the roles of the EU in the evolving international (dis)order, and its capacity to strengthen its position on the global stage, while informed by the EU’s Concept on Cultural heritage in conflicts and crises: A component for peace and security in European Union’s external action (2021), our panel examines the problem of cultural heritage protection posed in the last decade of military escalation throughout the world. We also examine the ‘battle of narratives’ surrounding hybrid interferences which use culture, language, and national identity as means of penetration resulting in ‘toxic politicisation’. In the past, the EU focused on heritage as the means to connect and form common ground for brokering peace and reconciliation in international cultural relations. In contrast, the EU’s 2021 document acknowledged for the first time that heritage can also be instrumentalized for divisive purposes, especially in conflict settings. The EU therefore added crisis and conflict as an extra vector to its heritage policies. The EU heritage diplomacy pursued in conflicts and crises is immediately relevant for Ukraine whose heritage has been surviving the consequences of Russia’s attacks on its tangible and intangible constituents. The protection of Ukraine’s cultural traditions and autonomy serves as a direct challenge to Russian attempts of imposing its cultural dominance over Ukraine. Protecting and promoting Ukraine’s unique cultural identity is not only crucial for the country’s victory and territorial integrity but also for regional security. Importantly, these attacks are not confined to the battlefields on the ground but are extended to the ‘battles of narratives’ marked by hybrid interferences which deploy cultural, identity, linguistic and information/communication resources. Our panel opens the discussion of weaponisation/securitisation of cultural and historical heritage within the EU’s security and defence strategies in increasingly uncertain world. Positioning our cases within the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine and at times of existential threats and hybrid interferences, we reflect on the EU’s future steps in navigating the global contexts marked by the ‘battle of narratives’.

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