Author Topic: Europe - my reflections.  (Read 1082 times)

Jennifer H.

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Europe - my reflections.
« on: June 16, 2017, 09:14:33 AM »
What insights and qualifications did I gain from the course “European Culture and Politics” and how can I employ these in my daily life?

Introduction:
The course examined several concepts, namely cultural identity, democracy, the nation-state, modernity, transculturality, etc. I propose to examine the insights I acquired although I cannot specify any particular qualification because I am not sure what the question implies. The effect of these insights on my daily life will also be considered.

Body:
If the course has achieved anything in my case, it is the questioning of all these concepts:
There does not seem to be a common cultural identity and all attempts to promote one are based on cultural heritages which may not be relevant today or increasingly less so.
Democracy is seen to vary in its application and many leaders claim democracy which others question. The concept of illiberal democracy is a new one which challenges the very meaning of the word. As we theoretically should not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, we can only observe and evaluate their policies.
One thing is the nation and another the state. A nation-state can be composed of different nations as in Britain, although some conservative views insist on one nation only as in Spain.
Modernity goes back to the French Revolution, which is so far back that we have to invent post-modernity, although we are not sure what that is yet.
Transculturality is positive if it leads to a widening of horizons and a new experience. We should always be ready to question our own values and norms and respect those of others.
As for the way one can implement these insights in one's daily life, I think it is simply a question of adding information to the store one has already accumulated. The more information one has, the better equipped one is to make decisions, to criticize constructively and to understand the world around us. However, I do think we lack information. In Spain, all newspapers but one are conservative and most people receive the information that the powerful classes wish to release. Progressive forces are kicking against the pricks and are often unfairly criticized. Freedom of expression exists but some voices are heard louder than others. I also feel that we lack information about other countries, which would help us to understand them and share their problems. Many people think their problems are only in their country and other countries are better off when this may not be so and the problems are international.

Conclusion:
All kinds of study, information and research are valid to shape opinions. This course has introduced some ideas I was not aware of. However, as for Europe, I feel even more pessimistic about its future than before and I seriously consider that we should face our everyday practical problems before trying to create something which may or may not emerge in the future.

Richard Gartside

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Re: Europe - my reflections.
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2017, 01:06:20 PM »
Jennifer, I think that for many the course proved more challenging to their beliefs and perceptions than perhaps they had anticipated at the start - this is no bad thing, it does us all good to be shaken out of our comfort zone once in a while.

You make a valid point that many of the ideas and concepts the course threw up, it also challenged their validity.  Unlike many courses, although I think the course leaders had an 'agenda' they made it less forcibly than on some other FutureLearn courses, and left more room for debate.  Equally though, the course accepted that if they questioned many of the ideas that the EU has built itself on, then this opens the door to unforseen ideas whose impact is uncertain.

I dont think that we could summarise all that the course did in such a few words, so to say the scope of the task was immense and hard to comprehend is perhaps a reflection of your appreciation of the size of the task being proposed.  We assimilate information from a variety of sources, so if the course made us reflect on what we are learning from where, and assess them more critically, then it could be argued that the course has achieved its aims, and this reflects as a positive thing on the course and its creators.

Am I more pessimistic about the EU?  maybe, but I think by seeing where we are going wrong then we start on the process of rectifying the problems.  If you do not know what is wrong, how can you hope to fix it?  We as individuals on our own will not change Europe or the EU, but if we as a collection of individuals come together to say we need to change, then we have a momentum of our own that can make the difference.