From the Focal Point

8th International Conference on Cultural Policy Research

The start of the busy fall season was marked by the 8th International Conference on Cultural Policy Research, held in Hildesheim, Germany on 9-12 September 2014. According to the Conference Reader, 468 participants registered for the conference, and 309 papers were presented, which makes this the largest ICCPR up to now, and testifies to the ever growing interest in cultural policies establishment and research. Four researchers from the Culturelink Team participated in the conference, with papers on access to culture and perspectives of globalism.

Three types of sessions were organized to accommodate this large number of speakers and diversity of themes brought forward for discussion:

• Thematic sessions (22 sessions devoted to various issues, such as Knowledge and Strategy: Cultural Policy Research and its Impact on Long-term Policy Planning; Measuring and Monitoring of Arts and Culture on the African Continent. Towards the ARTERIAL Network African Arts and Culture Index; Citizen Participation in Decision-making Process of Local Cultural Policy, etc.),
• Paper sessions (195 published abstracts presenting a very wide range of different aspects and interests in cultural policy research), and
• Semi-plenary sessions meant to organize discussion around three issues: 1. Cultural Policies and Processes of Transformation (A. Understanding Concepts, B. Understanding Structures); 2. Cultural Policies and Arts Education (A. Art for Art's Sake? Debate on Different Patterns of Legitimizing Arts Education and Consequences for Cultural Policy; B. Partnerships between Schools and the Professional Arts Sector. International Perspectives); 3. Cultural Policy and Participation (A. Audience Development and Participation in Developing Arts Institutions; B. Participation in Cultural Planning and Cultural Community Development)

The conference gathered researchers from 68 countries of Europe, the Arab world, Africa, East and Southeast Asia, Latin and North America. Such a diversified attendance combined with an extreme diversification of themes and issues discussed clearly shows that a global proliferation of cultural policies is under way, and that communication and exchange of information on cultural policy research has become both conceptually and organizationally a very demanding enterprise. In this respect 'the core concept of culture has indeed many consequences for the policy sector', and the problem of 'policy ambiguity ... (is) endemic to the sector' (C.J. Gray). Notwithstanding the character of 'the sector', cultural policy research has indeed gone global, while the communication on cultural policies research and practices might need to be organized ever more effectively. It remains to be seen whether and how the 8th ICCPR2014 conference has contributed to this aim through its optimal openness and flexibility.

1.   CALL FOR PAPERS FOR THE BOOK TEACHING AND LEARNING CULTURAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Submissions are invited for a forthcoming book to be published in June 2015, entitled Teaching and Learning Cultural Entrepreneurship. This unique publication invites contributions from the global research community studying cultural entrepreneurship and the evolution of training for the creative industries. The deadline for abstracts is 15 October 2014. >>>

2.   CALL FOR PAPERS FOR TRAVERSEA

Traversea, a peer-reviewed, online, open-access journal is dedicated to the publication of research in transatlantic history. The editors invite submissions that are historical, geographical, anthropological, literary, sociological and cartographic in nature. The deadline for consideration for Traversea Vol. 4 (2014) is 1 November 2014. >>>

3.   CULTURE(S) IN SUSTAINABLE FUTURES: THEORIES, POLICIES, PRACTICES

The international conference to be held in Helsinki, Finland, on 6-8 May 2015 and organised by COST Action, aims to explore theories and concepts; policies and governance; and practices and methodologies that explicitly analyse multiple dimensions of culture in sustainable development. The deadline for papers and other forms of presentations is 5 December 2014. >>>

4.   INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CONSCIOUSNESS, THEATRE, LITERATURE AND THE ARTS

The 6th International Conference on Consciousness, Theatre, Literature and the Arts will take place in New York, on 10-12 June 2015. Abstracts are invited for papers relating any aspect of consciousness to any aspect of theatre, performance, literature, music, fine arts, media arts etc. The deadline for abstracts is 1 April 2015. >>>

5.   2015 EU PRIZE FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE

Every year, the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards honours the most outstanding heritage achievements from all over Europe, stimulating creativity and innovation through the power of example. The closing date to submit applications is 15 October 2014. >>>

6.   HMC INTERNATIONAL ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAMME 2015

HMC International Artist Residency Program, a not-for-profit arts organization based in Dallas, Texas and Budapest, Hungary, provides national and international artists with the opportunity to produce new work while engaging with the arts community in Budapest, Hungary. The deadline for submission is 15 November 2015. >>>

7.   MARC DE MONTALEMBERT PRIZE 2015

The Marc de Montalembert Foundation and the French Institut national d'histoire de l'art (INHA) have formed a partnership to sponsor the Marc de Montalembert Prize. Applications will be accepted from 1 October to 30 November 2014. >>>

8.   ONLINE CULTURAL PLANNING COURSES AND WORKSHOPS

The University of British Columbia (UBC) Centre for Cultural Planning and Development launches a new series of online professional development workshops to take place in autumn of 2014. The workshops will cover a wide range of topics from the fields of cultural policy and planning; arts and culture; heritage and natural heritage; landscape, parks and gardens; and, cultural diversity and human rights. >>>

9.   APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2015-2018 FELLOWSHIP COMPETITION

The Princeton Society of Fellows, an interdisciplinary group of scholars in the humanities, social sciences, and selected natural sciences, invites applications for the 2015-2018 Fellowship competition. Four three-year Postdoctoral Fellowships will be awarded this year. Application deadline is 1 October 2014. >>>

10.   VISUAL STUDIES PhD AT UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

The University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC) announced a call for applications to the PhD programme in Visual Studies. This interdisciplinary programme is designed for students with diverse academic backgrounds from across the arts and humanities. Application deadline is 15 December 2014. >>>

11.   EUROPEAN CAMPUS OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL AUTHORITIES FOR CULTURE

The 3rd European Campus of Local and Regional Authorities for Culture, organised by Les Rencontres, will take place in the Nord-Pas de Calais Region, France, from 5 to 8 November 2014. The European Campus will include talks, debates and training, underlining the interaction between all the participants, in lectures and workshops. >>>

12.   4th AFRICAN CREATIVE ECONOMY CONFERENCE

The African Creative Economy Conference (ACEC) is an annual gathering that highlights the role of culture in sustainable development. Co-hosted by the Association Racines / Arterial Network Morocco, the 4th edition of the ACEC will take place in Rabat, at the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco, from 13 to 15 November 2014. >>>

13.   RESEARCH AND PUBLIC DECISION-MAKING IN CULTURE AND THE ARTS

On the occasion of its 25th anniversary, the Observatory of Cultural Policies, Grenoble, France, is organising the 2nd International Conference on Research and Public Decision-making in Culture and the Arts. The conference will take place in Villeurbanne, France, on 3-4 December 2014. Registration as of September 2014. >>>

14.   MULTIDISCIPLINARY CONFERENCE ON THEATRE BETWEEN TRADITION AND CONTEMPORANEITY

The international conference Theatre between Tradition and Contemporaneity: Theatre, Dance, Theatre Design and Technology, Music, Arts Administration, Visual and Multimedia Art, organized by IUGTE in collaboration with ArtUniverse, will be held in Carrara, Italy, on 18-22 December 2014. The conference creates a unique encounter of different arts in a multicultural and multilingual artistic environment, and offers a great platform for performers, performing arts educators and teachers to find new collaboration partners from all continents. >>>

15.   EUROPEAN TEXTILE NETWORK CONFERENCE: DUTCH TEXTILE ART, CRAFT AND DESIGN

The 17th European Textile Network (ETN) Conference on Dutch Textile Art, Craft and Design will take place in the framework of the Textiel Festival in Leiden, Netherlands, from 16 to 17 May 2015. The conference venue will be the Ethnographic Museum of Leiden. >>>

16.   THE DIVERSITY ADVANTAGE CHALLENGE

The Council of Europe promotes a new approach to managing increasingly diverse societies based on the concept of Diversity Advantage. The partners in this project are: Intercultural Cities Programme, La Caixa, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and Club of Madrid. >>>

17.   NEW MULTILINGUAL PLATFORM: TRANSVERSAL TEXTS

eipcp - European Institute for Progressive Cultural Policies announced the launch of the multilingual platform transversal texts, an abstract machine and text machine at once, territory and stream of publication, production site and platform - the middle of a becoming that never wants to become a publishing company. >>>

18.   PENSAR LA MEZCLA

Culturelink would like to draw your attention to a book on intercultural relations written by Yolanda Onghena, Senior Research Fellow / Intercultural Dynamics in CIDOB, Barcelona, entitled Pensar la mezcla. We wish to offer to Culturelink's members and readers some parts / reflections from the Preface from the pen of Valentin Y. Mudimbe, philosopher, professor and well-known African novelist (Entre les eaux, Le Bel immonde, L'Ecart). >>>

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