The financial crisis of 2008 destructured the Spanish economy, further evidencing the social inequalities that we drag on to this day. Culture is no exception. This is demonstrated by a pioneering study of nine European universities and in which the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) participates, which is analyzing values, participation, the imaginary and the globalization of culture, in nine countries of the European Union.
In the first phase of results it is already evident that Spain continues to be comparatively one of the countries with a more open cultural vision, although there is a very significant inequality. The objective of the study is to encourage cultural policies that integrate the heterogeneity of European citizenship in cultural spaces, according to Jordi López, Joan Llonch and Pilar López, members of the research teams and UAB representatives within the study. Spain has a problem of structural cultural underfunding that hinders the relationship between cultural institutions and citizens.
According to the first results of the Invent research team, in which UAB professors participate, 87% of Spaniards are proud to be European and 69% believe that a common European culture, a European demos, should be encouraged. In this way, it is understood the position of Spain with respect to Europe and how the condition of dependency of the less wealthy countries of the Union fosters a very positive vision regarding European culture. Although the predisposition of the Spanish towards a common European culture is one of the best of the nine countries studied, it remains to be determined how this integration can be achieved.
The next step is to create discussion groups with cultural producers to discuss better models of cultural integration in the institutions. It is still evident to the public that there is no room for everyone in culture, nor is all the country's diversity represented.
