Culture and cultural policies in time of crisis. The emblematic case of Spain

Abstract

Over recent decades, public policymaking in the field of culture has turned into a privileged showcase of the ideological stance of governments. But since the introduction of the UNESCO Convention on the Promotion of Diversity in 2007, and following the progress made by the international doctrine that positions culture as an essential pillar of sustainable development, culture as a political and symbolic touchstone has been rising in importance. The aim of this article is to consider its empirical realities from the perspective of a concrete case study: the state of culture and cultural policies in Spain in the hot years of the economic crisis (2008-2017).