The european capital culture initiative and cultural legacy: an analysis of the cultural sector in the aftermath of cork 2005

The European Cities/Capitals of Culture initiative (subsequently referred to as ECOC) was originally set up in 1985 to celebrate European cultural diversity. Conceptualized by researchers as a major cultural event, a growing academic literature on the subject now argues that the ECOC has lost sight of its original cultural aims and is being increasingly used to further city-branding, image creation and tourism revenue generation agendas. This article reports the findings of a study that examined how the regular workings of a city's permanent cultural sector can be affected by this transient, large-scale cultural event. The ECOC studied Cork 2005. The study's findings point to a number of ways in which the ECOC constituted a boost for the sector in terms of strengthening capacity, building relationships, and enhancing well-being. It further points to a number of shortcomings in how the "process" or developmental potential of the event was fostered. A number of questions for future research are raised. Core among these include investigating how the needs of the cultural sector are recognized and managed amidst competing calls from other stakeholders, and how tensions/compromises attend the competing agendas that seek to capitalize on the ECOC.