The Еuropean Creative Class: A Challenge for the European Capitals оf Culture

This study examines the evolution of the concept of the creative class, beginning with R. Florida’s interpretations and questioning its role in shaping culture as a profit-generating factor within cities designated as European Capitals of Culture. The research presents a critical examination of the approaches various authors have taken in developing taxonomies of cultural capital, focusing exclusively on the social dynamics of the cultural class and its role in transforming cultural capital into economic capital. By closely examining the contexts in which the concept of “creative class” has been used either too restrictively, or conflated with that of the “cultural class” in an overly broad extension, I argue that these distinctions are fundamental to recovering and understanding the phenomenon of social inequality—manifested, on the one hand, between residents and the creative class per se, and on the other hand, among different creative communities within this class. Finally, the study identifies several defining features of the European cultural class and observes the priorities assumed by the European Capitals of Culture in fostering and supporting this social nucleus.