The IX Finnish Conference on Cultural Policy Research will be held on 20-21 April 2023 at the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi. The theme of the conference in 2023 is forces and tensions in cultural policy.
Call for presentations
Culture itself is a strong force that unites and divides people and communities from each other. Culture is related to the formation of identity, belonging to social groups, and the experience of inclusion. The social relevance of art and culture is widely recognised. At the same time, the status of cultural policy as a component of social policy is weak and strongly limited within narrow sectoral boundaries.
The ambiguity of the concept of culture alone creates tensions in cultural policy. Practical cultural policy is a balancing act between art-based and lifestyle-based cultural concepts and the distribution of limited resources among an expanding group of actors. A strong legislative framework and institutional structures have brought stability to the cultural policy system but also limited its renewal and development.
Issues related to regions and relations between regions are at the heart of cultural policy. Central to the regional cultural policy is the cooperation and division of duties between the State and municipalities, which is framed by tension between the self-governance of municipalities and State guidelines. The resources and priorities of cultural activities vary greatly in different regions. The provision and use of services is differentiated and unequal not only between regions but also between demographic groups. With globalisation, different influences, ideas and cultural products travel around the world and mix.
Tensions can lead to contradictions and conflicts, but they are not only a bad thing. Politics can be strengthened through tensions, as they force people to make choices between different, sometimes even conflicting, alternatives. If these choices and decisions are to be based on information, cultural policy research must be able to build stronger connections and interactions with decision makers.
The theme of the conference can be approached from many perspectives in working groups and presentations. Possible perspectives for working groups and presentations include the following:
- What forces influence Finnish cultural policy? Is there a force within cultural policy?
- What kinds of struggles take place within cultural policy between different areas?
- What is the status of cultural policy within society and what is its relationship to other policy sectors? Where can we find a force within cultural policy to break through and beyond sector boundaries more strongly? What can cultural policy learn from other sectors?
- How are tensions between the past and the future reflected in cultural policy?
- What kind of tensions arise between political processes and arts and cultural activities?
- How are changes in the political system and the forms in which power is exercised reflected in cultural policy? Does cultural policy find strength in new forms of activities and organisation?
- How do different dimensions related to location and regions and their related tensions manifest in cultural policy?
- How are international and global phenomena reflected in national cultural policy? What is the significance of culture and cultural policy in the current tense state of international politics?
- How can the ambiguity in the concepts used and the tensions between their interpretations be seen in cultural policy?
- How and with what methods would it be possible for research to identify the forces and tensions affecting cultural policy? How are forces and tensions manifested in cultural policy research and in the interaction between research and decision-making?
Presentations in which cultural policy is examined from perspectives other than those mentioned above are also welcome.
Proposals for presentations
Deadline for the proposals has been extended to January 13th, 2023. Please send proposals for presentations to the following address: kulttuuripolitiikan.t.seura@gmail.com
The length of each proposal should be 250–300 words and must include the title of the presentation, topic and contact information of the presenter. Presentations can be in Finnish, Swedish or English.
The organising committee of the conference will form thematic working groups from the presentation proposals.
Presenters are encouraged to adapt their presentation into an article and submit it for publication in the Cultural Policy Research Yearbook.
The Finnish Conference on Cultural Policy Research offers a multidisciplinary and scientific forum for everyone interested in the phenomena of cultural policy.
Organisers
The 2023 conference is being organised by the Society for Cultural Policy Research in Finland in collaboration with the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lapland.
More information
kulttuuripolitiikan.t.seura@gmail.com
Society for Cultural Policy in Finland