International Cultural Relations Research Articles

Touring Feminist Realism in Actually Existing Socialism: The Exhibitions and Travels of Danish Artist Dea Trier Mørch across the Iron Curtain, 1962–1989

Dea Trier Mørch (1941–2001) was a popular – and recently rediscovered – artist often associated with feminism and the formative years of the Danish Women’s Rights movement. Throughout her career, she worked and exhibited frequently in the Eastern Bloc countries, but the details of these activities and the reception of her work in this context is still a little known aspect of her life and work. The article will analyse the case of Trier Mørch as a Danish artist exhibiting in the communist bloc countries. From attending art academies in the 1960s (mainly in Poland and the USSR) to taking part of exhibitions both individually and as part of artist collective Røde Mor such as Biennale der Ostseeländer in Rostock and Intergrafik in East Berlin, the activities of Trier Mørch show encounters and interactions with the other art world of state socialism at various levels, such as conflicts and paradoxes, including on the issue of feminism and women’s rights in the different systems. Following an individual through larger structures like international exchanges and art diplomacy will also shed fresh light on the developments in international cultural relations in the Nordic-Baltic region and provide context for the artist’s commitment and positioning through a formative period in contemporary history.

CONCEPTUALIZATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE PROTECTION AS A SOFT POWER INSTRUMENT

The article examines the “transformation” of the concept of “protection of cultural heritage” in the context of current international relations. The development in modern political science discourse of such theories as securitization of cultural heritage, “geocultural” power, and diplomacy of cultural heritage allows us to talk about a change, or rather, an expansion of the meaning of the term field “protection of cultural heritage.” Based on an analysis of scientific works devoted to the study of the role of cultural heritage in international political processes, as well as specialized UNESCO reports on the connection between the UN sustainable development goals and culture in general, and reports of some specialized structures (for example, the British Council), the following conclusions can be drawn. First, in the last decade, the potential of cultural heritage for state foreign policy and international heritage management has attracted increasing interest among researchers from different countries. At the moment, there is no single or established definition of heritage diplomacy. In earlier studies, heritage diplomacy has generally been associated with multinational cooperation in international heritage management within the framework of UNESCO. More recent concepts of heritage diplomacy have expanded to include more policy areas, such as sustainable development policy. Secondly, the concept of cultural heritage for international cultural relations should be conceptualized as a present- and future-oriented process through which realities are constructed from selected elements of the past. Thirdly, the political dimension of cultural heritage acts as an arena for the manifestation and negotiation of (dissonant) meanings, values and identities.

EU-South Korea international cultural relations in the twenty-first century: an overview

EU-South Korea international cultural relations in the twenty-first century: an overview

EU의 국제문화관계 전략에 관한 고찰

It has been more than 30 years since the Treaty of Maastricht officially introduced cultural policy in 1992. Cultural policy has been restructured in accordance with the EU’s Multi-annual Financial Framework. Sometimes the policy had to change its official programmes and its policy orientation had to change as well, accordingly. Cultural policy in earlier times implemented various cultural programmes in which different foci were given in providing financial support. DIfferent programmes supported either cultural heritage preservation, performing art or literary translation depending on their respective objectives of the programmes. From the year 2000 onwards, however, the existing programmes were converged into a single programme as the EU emphasised the effectiveness of operating different programmes in a single instrument. From 2014, the focal point of the cultural policy is cultural and creative sectors. The ‘Creative Europe’ programme the EU introduced for the sake of establishing creative Europe, integrated audiovisual policy (which had existed separately from cultural policy) into the programme aiming at strengthening cultural and creative sectors in the digital era. In addition, the EU proclaimed that it will actively make use of culture in its external relations in its communication on ‘International Cultural Relations’. While expanding various types of ‘networks’ through Creative Europe at a global level, the EU makes attempt to establish ‘European Spaces of Culture’ worldwide in the end. By doing so, the EU pursues enhancing its position as a global actor in this field.

The Chilean-Cuban Institute of Culture: a Case of Cultural Diplomacy in the Government of Jorge Alessandri (1959—1964)

The field of international cultural relations studies has proven to be one of the most fruitful for new approaches to political history and international relations in general. Making use of various primary sources from the Cuban State, as well as many other printed secondary productions, this article is a first general approximation of the circumstances that Chilean-Cuban relations acquired during the first five years of the 1960s. Based on an intense past relationship of collaboration between both countries, especially between their artistic and intellectual establishments, the activity carried out in Chile by the Chilean-Cuban Institute of Culture, was not only a kind of continuity of that tradition, but also, to the At the same time, the opening to a new experience in an extremely critical regional political context due to the place that Cuba occupied in the Inter-American Cold War. After the exposition of background numbers that marked the importance and diffusion of the Cuban Revolution in our environment, the article concludes with the role of this cultural device, opening to new explorations on the subject and the role that the radicalized Latin American intelligentsia played in the 1960s.

Dialogic approach in the EU’s international cultural relations: joint EUNIC-EU delegation projects as heritage diplomacy

ABSTRACT Culture and cultural heritage have become central aspects in the European Union’s (EU) foreign policy that increasingly emphasizes dialogue and people-to-people connections as the basis for international cultural relations. This article explores 11 projects jointly facilitated by the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) and EU Delegations in nine countries located in Europe, Africa, and South America as part of a strategic cooperation between the European Commission, the European External Action Service and EUNIC. We identify five modes of highlighting dialogue as a key element in the EU’s international cultural relations and discuss how the ideas of dialogue, cultural heritage, values, and diplomacy are entangled and interrelated in our data. The study underlines the core role of the cooperation between EUNIC and EU Delegations and shows how a dialogic approach determines the EU’s international cultural relations and at the same time interconnects its international and internal policy aims.

EU heritage diplomacy: entangled external and internal cultural relations

ABSTRACT Cultural heritage is an expanding yet contested area of EU policymaking, which has recently been identified as an instrument for EU international cultural relations. In this article, drawing from critical heritage studies and recent scholarship on heritage diplomacy, we see external and internal cultural relations as blurred and deeply entangled in EU heritage policies. Empirically, we focus on the European Heritage Label (EHL), a central EU heritage policy instrument. We explore how heritage practitioners at selected EHL sites and EU heritage policymakers understand and give meanings to international cultural relations and explain the role of cultural heritage in diplomatic endeavours. Our method is a dynamic frame analysis of 44 interviews conducted in the European Commission and at eleven EHL sites in ten European countries. The analysis identified four frames of international cultural relations in the data: relations with non-EU countries for peace and stability building, showcasing and branding of cultural heritage for foreign audiences, creating unity in Europe, and small-scale international heritage projects. These frames manifest different understandings of heritage diplomacy ranging from geoculture to shared heritage and from intercultural encounters to the use of soft power.

Wśród polityków i artystów. Topos Europy Środkowej w polityce kulturalnej Czech w latach 2004–2018

Artists and Politicians. Central Europe in Cultural Politics in the Czech Republic from 2004 to 2018 The purpose of this work was to examine the role that the subject of Central Europe plays in cultural politics in the Czech Republic. In the first part of this work, there are definitions of national identity, cultural politics and Central Europe. Moreover, there is information about institutions that are responsible for the development of the Czech culture. The second chapter is an analysis of the activity of Czech artists which is related to Central Europe and the states of the region. The last chapter is research about the participation of artistic events related to the region among those subsidized by the minister’s programs for the development of international cultural relations.

The Foreign Action of Peripheries, or the will to be Seen: Catalan Cultural Diplomacy in the Interwar Period

ABSTRACT Much academic literature has reflected upon the powerful capacities of culture in the construction of collectivities, the crucial role of the Other in any process of identity making, and the mutually constitutive character of the national and the international. All three aspects explain the fact that foreign cultural policy is often part and parcel of the consolidation of modern nations. Within this general framework, this article focuses on the strategies of cultural diplomacy conducted by peripheral collectivities. Specifically, this article links a focus on the peripheries with cultural diplomacy through the notion of invisibility and then exemplifies it through two Catalan historical projects spearheaded by Joan Estelrich: the foundation of Oficina d’Expansió Catalana, the first institution created to promote Catalan culture abroad, and the struggle to grant representation to Catalan culture at the International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation, a key body in the institutionalization of international cultural relations in the interwar period. Through the focus on Catalan cultural diplomacy, the place of peripheries in cultural institutions or organizations is problematized.

Pop friction: performing Canada at the Festival Internacional da Canção Popular

ABSTRACT This article examines Canada-Brazil relations through the prism of a music festival, the Festival Internacional da Canção Popular, held in the wake of the 1964 military coup. Using sources (in French, English, and Portuguese) collected through multi-site research (Montreal, Ottawa, and Rio de Janeiro), it demonstrates that Canadians’ half-hearted, uninspired performance between 1966 and 1969 resulted from their perception of the South American giant as largely irrelevant – and too foreign – with regard to domestic and external priorities. Their elitist and tepid approach to music diplomacy was also a function of their failure of imagination in the making of international cultural relations. Not only did the Department of External Affairs and cultural officials in Canada fail to comprehend how popular music could be rendered valuable in the centennial decade and amid an upsurge of nationalism in the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec, but they also found themselves complicit with the Brazilian dictatorship’s efforts to embellish its image through a spectacle of sound and light.

The role of culture in EU Foreign Policy: Between International Cultural Relations and Cultural Diplomacy

This article offers an analysis of the role of culture in the European Union's external relations. Firstly, it traces the institutional evolution of the cultural policies implemented by the EU in its external relations. It picks up on the distinction between cultural diplomacy and international cultural relations. Secondly, the limits of the EU's strategic approach to culture in external relations are illustrated, with particular attention given to the consequences of changes in the international system and the organisational and legal limits of supranational action in cultural relations. The paper demonstrates how the current global context is not conducive to the deployment of culture in international relations as envisioned in the EU strategic approach. We argue that without a strengthening of its normative spirit and traditional liberal-cum-internationalist approach, the EU has little chance of achieving international cultural relations based on a participatory and argumentative approach aimed at achieving global solidarity. More likely is a cultural diplomacy understood as a form of public diplomacy and characterised by strategic communication supportive of the EU’s increasingly geo-political agenda.

Tracing Cultural Relations Through The COVID-19 Crisis

The COVID-19 crisis has jeopardized the stability and growth of several sectors, including cultural industries, and has impacted societal relations between people and across countries. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, we hear little about initiatives or policies pertaining to cultural relations. This paper reviews cultural relations trends throughout the COVID-19 crisis that have demonstrated a shortfall in taking effective initiatives during these challenging times. In this paper, the concept of cultural relations is approached from the perspective of relationships and interactions between individuals and groups of different cultures and across national boundaries. The paper adopts J.M. Mitchell’s (2016) view on international cultural relations as being “dedicated to the task of helping different cultures to understand each other and to learn from each other” (xii). Through micro-illustrations that can help identify some prevalent patterns, I discuss how cultural relations across the MENA region have materialized during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to a lack of international cultural relations initiatives, several MENA countries have adopted a conservative, unilateral and domestic position, compromising the role of culture and undermining the structures supporting cross-cultural relations.

Policy Design for the Management of International Cultural Relations: Conceptual Framework beyond “Cultural Diplomacy”, and Practices in Germany and Japan

Policy Design for the Management of International Cultural Relations: Conceptual Framework beyond “Cultural Diplomacy”, and Practices in Germany and Japan

AKTERI FRANCUSKOG KULTURNOG UTICAJA U SVETU

In an attempt to find the answer to the question if politics and culture are connected, we firstly analyze the relation between culture and politics and the ways in which cultural exchange can be used in international relations. After that we provide a brief diachronic review of the most important ways of approaching international cultural relations, particularly focus- ing on the actors of French cultural influence in the world (both public and private) as basic instruments of global external cultural politics (and this is called cultural action towards the world). Using descriptive and analytical methods, we are pointing at the ways of studying and expanding the field of culture and we are comparing humanistic and anthropological approaches to culture. We are pointing to the positive experience of many centuries’ cultural actions in France and its advocating for the world in which lingual and cultural versatility would be worshiped and developed. Analyzing experience, achieved results and benefits of the cultural action of France, we are trying to answer the question if there is the possibility of posing any kind of parallel between our and French cultural action. The question is also if some of these positive French experiences can be used for improvement of our cultural diplo- macy, particularly bearing in mind the differences between the two countries when their size, political position in the world and economic strength are not the same.

The formation and stages of development of interstate activities of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation

Since the founding of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in 2004, this institution has been actively involved in large-scale international cultural relations. The purpose of creating this fund was to preserve and popularize the legacy of the national leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, to convey the truth about Azerbaijan to the world community, and to familiarize with its history, culture, and spiritual values. The purpose of this article is to determine the stages of formation and development of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, to analyze the directions of its multi-vector activity and to justify the role of the Foundation in forming a positive image of independent Azerbaijan. Along with general logical methods, the methods of political monitoring, content analysis, historical and comparative analysis are used, which make it possible to highlight the complex of activities carried out by the Fund and to forecast the trends of its further activity. Since the foundation of the Foundation, important projects have been developed and successfully implemented to protect the welfare of the Azerbaijani people, protect their national heritage and moral values. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation, paying special attention to the expansion of cooperation with Islamic countries in the field of science and culture, ensured the achievement of the highest level of development of relations between Azerbaijan and the Islamic Organization for Education, Science and Culture. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation paid serious attention to the expansion of cooperation within the framework of the UN, which resulted in the adoption of the Program on creating conditions for the use of information and communication technologies by people with visual impairments. According to the results of the research, it was established that the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, in cooperation with the government, parliament and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, plays the role of one of the effective means of implementing the foreign policy, social, humanitarian, political, economic and cultural strategy of Azerbaijan. The Foundation was able to form a positive image of Azerbaijan on an international scale, establishing constructive cooperation in all spheres, both with individual states and with influential international and regional organizations.

Preliminary Results of the Yodhawewa Archaeological Research in Sri Lanka - 2018: Exploration, Excavations, Findings, and Radiocarbon Datings

This archaeological research aimed to investigate the authentic metalworking activities of the Yodhawewa area and examine contemporary socio-economic movements based on discovered material culture. The entire research work was carried out in 2018 based on a surface survey and two excavations in an area of about 201600m2 on the outskirts of Yodhawewa reservoir. The C14 chronology confirms the 1st-8th centuries activities, and in this research obtained a considerable artefacts collection related to metal extraction, copper metalwork, and crucible steel production. This research also discovered that half of a lower spherical (crucible-typed) metal furnace was used to produce crucible steel for the first time in Sri Lanka. Artefacts such as coins, BRW, RW, and some porcelain prove that the site maintained cultural relations with India and China in the c. 1st century and 8th century AD. Other artefacts of this site include ceramics, beads, faunal remains, minerals, and rocks that have been used for human needs for a considerable period. This article discusses at length the archaeological evidence that the Yodhawewa region is a metalworking site that has been active since the early historical period of Sri Lanka and a place that reflects national and international cultural relations.

The dynamics of worldwide sociocultural transformations in the conditions of COVID-19 pandemic

The year 2020 has become a turning point for all spheres, including culture. Due to the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, all cultural institutions around the globe were forced to close and educational institutions transferred to distance format. However, sociocultural development did not cease to exist, but rather threw efforts of adaptation to the current conditions. This was facilitated somewhat facilitated by the expanding digitalization, which boosted the dialogue of cultures. On the one hand, the countries suffered heavy financial losses, while on the other – the creative approaches have made the image of the countries more attractive, mainly because the digital culture has vast audience and opportunities for distribution. However, the globalizing world challenges the cultural identity. This intensifies the need for finding ways to develop the world cultural space – without dominance of the stronger over the weaker, which can be promoted by culturological approach towards their comprehension and a humanistic language for describing these complex and dynamic processes. The humanistic values of coexistence and solidarity become more universal, allowing to avoid conflicts and strengthening international information and communication processes. On the other hand, these values are changing, and interethnic conflicts have aggravated during the pandemic. The object of this research is international cultural relations at the current stage of development. The subject is the peculiarities of the development of cross-cultural relations in the conditions of social transformations dictated by the pandemic. The goal is to reveal the potential of international cultural cooperation that is affected by the external and internal factors. The novelty lies in theoretical substantiation of changes and analysis of the diversity of models of cross-cultural interaction. Practical importance of this research consists in summary of the experience and opportunities for spreading the new formats of activity of cultural institutions.

The EU’s Dualistic Regime of Cultural Diversity Management The Concept of Culture in the Creative Europe Program (2014–2019; 2021–2027) and in the Strategy for International Cultural Relations (2016–) /

In this article, Damaso and Murray address the gap between international cultural management and policy scholarship. Based on a triangulation of textual analysis and interviews, it examines how culture is understood in Creative Europe (2014-2019; 2021-2027) and in the Strategy for International Cultural Relations (2016-). Firstly, it provides an overview of debates around the deployment of culture by the Union. Secondly, it examines changes in the term culture in the aforementioned programs. The analysis reveals that the EU's recognition of the importance of culture within and beyond its borders is not accompanied by a univocal understanding of the term - leading to a dualistic regime of diversity management. Thirdly, it reflects on the challenges that are likely to emerge if - as is planned - Creative Europe funding is used to implement the International Cultural Relations strategy, and stresses the limits of ambiguity in the international management of cultural diversity.

Linguistic and cultural connotations of the lexeme BIRCH in Russian and the lexeme BAMBOO in Chinese

The paper studies the historical and cultural associative meanings of the lexeme BIRCH in the Russian culture and the lexeme BAMBOO in Chinese by analyzing the results of the perception process of these objects, their concepts and images by native speakers of the Russian and Chinese languages. The relevance of the research is due to the growing attention of modern linguistics to comparative cultural studies, including the number of comparative works on the Russian and Chinese languages, the importance of describing linguistic and cultural differences for the development of international economic and cultural relations between China and Russia. The research material involves phraseological units, proverbs, myths, poems and literary works, as well as historical materials, customs and traditions of the two nations. This paper uses research methods such as descriptive, contextual, comparative, the method of component analysis and cognitive modeling. As a result, it was determined that birch occupies a significant place in the Russian culture with the meanings of “motherland”, “mother”, “woman”, “bride”, “girl”. Bamboo in Chinese has only positive connotations, including “unshakable quality”, “spiritual purity”, “humble character”, “high aspirations.” It is concluded that birch as a symbol of Russia is a lacunar concept in the Chinese culture, while bamboo as the personification of a “perfect gentleman” in Chinese has no cultural connotation in Russian. Despite mismatched meanings in two languages, birch and bamboo must be recognized as equivalents in terms of cultural significance and the high frequency of symbolic use in poetry and other precedent texts.

Роль Шарафа Рашидова в развитии международных культурных связей Узбекистана

The article emphasizes one of the most important aspects of Rashidov’s multifaceted political activity —his role as the leader of Uzbekistan in the development of international cultural relations with foreign countries. In the Soviet Union, political relations with foreign countries were in charge of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the authority of the Union. As the leader, Rashidov represented the USSR in negotiations with many foreign leaders. During the Rashidov’s years, the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent became one of the cultural centers of the East.