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TONHOENSELAARS
OurShakespeareanresearchindicatesthattheEuropeanUnionmaywishto“bury
thehatchet”ortryto“endallwars”inanattempttosecureourpresent-daycivilisation
andsafeguarditsculturalheritage.However,thesharedculturalheritage,ascaptured
inacanonicalhistoryplaylikeHenryV,alsocontainsthepastmomentsoftheEuro-
peancontinent’sowninternalconflict,andthepreservedmemoryofthese,itnowturns
out,iseverreadytoslideintorenewedtrauma.Becausethecommonculturalheritage
thatwetreasureso–andwhichthe“Appealbytheculturalworld”supports–thiside-
allysharedculturalhéritagewillalsomakesomeofus,onoccasion,believethatthey
arealsoenemishéréditaires.
TheEuropeanCommunitystatutesannouncethattheCommunity,“respectela
richessedesadiversitéculturelleetlinguistique,etveilleàlasauvegardeetaudéve-
loppementdupatrimoinecultureleuropéen”(2)[respectstherichnessofitscultural
andlinguisticdiversity,andseekstosecureprotectionandthedevelopmentofthe
Europeanculturalheritage].ButtheEuropeanConstitutionalsostipulatesthat:“toute
discriminationexercéeenraisondelanationalitéestinterdite”(3)[“alldiscrimination
onthebasisofnationalityisforbidden”].Inasense,thereseemstobelittleroomfor
aplaylikeHenryV,andwithTomHealywemaywishtoquestiononceagainif,
readingtheplay,wearereally“rememberingwithadvantages.”Yet,inanothersense,
weas“Europeans”as“Shakespeareans”oras“EuropeanShakespeareans”canhardlydo
withoutthishistoryplayanditshistoryifwewishtounderstandthecomplexpsychology
ofthecontinuallyevolvingconstructthatwetendtocallEurope,bothinitsownright,
andinaglobalcontext.
