Loos-en-Gohelle und sein kulturelles Ökosystem: Partizipative Kulturarbeit als Grundlage für raum-bezogene Identifikation und gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt

Following the end of coal production in 1986, the small town of Loos-en-Gohelle in northern France transformed itself from a former mining stronghold into a model municipality for sustainability. This article highlights the importance of cultural policy measures in this structural change: while in other municipalities in the northern French coalfield, cultural policy was used to change the image of the region, Loos-en-Gohelle aimed to involve the local population in the socio-ecological transformation process. Participatory cultural work thus became an instrument of emancipation. However, the possibilities for mobilising the population appear to have reached a turning point in recent years. Loos-en-Gohelle is faced with the challenge of developing new forms of cultural participation in order to prevent the momentum from slowing down.