Episode 02: The Matter of Cultural Policy
In this episode, I referred to a very special expert to seek to answer this key question regarding the role of cultural policy:
How can governments integrate culture more effectively into other public sectors, such as security, labour, and education, to create a more holistic and impactful approach to cultural policy and societal well-being?
With
Head of the UNESCO Chair on Interculturalism, Art Management and Mediation and professor of cultural policy, cultural management, cultural studies, and media studies
An icon.
Some key concepts
Milena Dragićević Šešić, the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Policy and Management, advocates for the use of cultural policy to foster inclusive community-oriented cultural institutions: “Cultural operators throughout the world need to know that someone cares about them. That is the reason why we need to have public institutions, not to care only about heritage but to care about people, both about those who create – artists, and about those that are going to enjoy this – audiences.”1
Šešić’s approach can be complemented by Julieta Brodsky’s proposition of cultural democracy. Julieta Brodsky, the Minister of Cultures, Arts and Heritage of Chile, defined Cultural Democracy as valuing all forms of cultural expression equally, it encompasses visual and material culture and intangible cultural heritage. This is a key concept for writing cultural policy that honours the intrinsic value of all forms of art and would increase accessibility and equitable funding.
Solidarity and sovereignty emerge as guiding principles for cultural policy.
Šešić mentioned this UNESCO initiative to include culture in the UN’s Development goals:
[1] Šisić, Višnja and Tomka, Goran. “Chapter 5 Post-Capitalism and Cultural Leadership.” In Cultural Leadership in Practice: Beyond Arts Management and Cultural Policy (1st ed.). Hadley, S. (Ed.). Routledge, (2024): p. 87.
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