The 2nd Young Cultural Researchers Forum “Cross-cultural qualitative approaches to cultural policy research” (an initiative of the European Cultural Foundation (ECF), in partnership with the European Network of Cultural Administration Training Centres, (ENCATC) took place in Lyon 15-16 October 2008. The aim of the forum was to discuss and analyse to what extend as cultural policy researchers, are effective when using such comparative cross-cultural approaches. What are our approaches to culturally diverse countries and regions where policies and realities are sometimes incomparable? How do we collaborate and share such comparative cross-cultural methods of research in a networking mode, both online and offline? Do we explore all possible resources for research and how do we use Internet to enrich our research experiences? Do the policy recommendations we offer as a result of our research consider the diversity of our societies and cross-cultural communication at all levels?
The forum participants were 25 young researchers coming from: Germany, France, Slovakia, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Serbia, UK, The Netherlands, Ukraine. The research themes they work on are diverse, related to: public participation, creative communities, literary translations, contemporary arts museums, cultural diversity in the recording industry, educational system applied to the Muslim minority in Greece, case studies as a comparative method, cultural landscape and rural environment governance.
The forum participants formed 3 working groups and discussed questions of common interest such as:
- How do we use the existing resources, databases and information in a more collaborative and proactive manner (both on and offline)?
- How could we share, exchange and network in a more efficient manner? What kind of platforms do we need for collaboration?
- What could we do for a better visibility of our research work, for making an impact, both on the policy-making process and in the artistic practice?
Robert Palmer, Director of Culture and Cultural and Natural Heritage at the Council of Europe; Xavier Troussard, acting Head of Unit for Culture, Directorate General for Education and Culture, European Commission, and Isabelle Schwarz, Head of Cultural Policy Development at the European Cultural Foundation joined the final panel of the forum and had an open discussion with the young researchers, concentrated around:
- The interest of the governments and pan-European organisations in critical thinking.
- The power and fears related to cultural policy research.
- Relevant topics for CP research and who sets up the research agenda.
- The language barrier and how to solve it, especially when it concerns comparative research between countries with different languages.
- The need for an interdisciplinary and transversal approach in CP research (inc. looking at research agendas and methodologies from other fields-social studies, environment, economic development etc.).
- The issue of quality of research work-how to make sure that we improve the quality of both academic and applied research work.
- The need to map and make more visible the existing research done by young people across Europe.
- The need for lobby for a public accessibility of data on local and national level.
- The need to work for the recognition of cultural policy researcher as a profession.
- The place and value of cultural policy research as an academic field.
The forum was a strong indication for the need to set up an ongoing platform to keep the young researchers connected and actively involved for further sharing and mutual learning. The exact means to do that are to be clarified.
LabforCulture is a partner initiative of the European Cultural Foundation. LabforCulture is grateful for the support provided by its funders.
