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First World Culturelink Conference
Dynamics of Communication and Cultural Change:
The Role of Networks
The First World Culturelink Conference
on Dynamics of Communication and Cultural Change: The Role
of Networks, held in Zagreb, 8-11 June 1995, was attended
by 98 participants from 29 countries and 14 international associations,
centres and organizations. It worked in four plenary sessions
and one special session devoted to the Culturelink Network.
Cultural Change and New Cultural Identities
Cultural change and new cultural identities were discussed during the first plenary session. The issue was introduced in an overview of the relations between culture and
development. The growing knowledge on the role of culture in development and its importance for the practical implementation of development projects was pointed out, as well as the ways in which this relationship is treated by international organizations, particularly UNESCO. The less well-established issue in international organizations, but equally important, concerns cultural transformation in the
post-socialist societies of Eastern and Central Europe. The transformation
processes, as well as development, have brought to the fore the
problem of cultural identities and the establishment of new identities
through the interaction of past values and present existential
difficulties of cultures affected by transformation. While cultural
development is linked with the process of post-colonial liberation
and reculturation based on the rejection of foreign cultural values,
the cultural transformation currently underway in Central and
Eastern Europe can be defined as the process of integration of
these cultures into the core European cultural context, which
is a context of defined national cultures and intercultural communication.
The development and change of cultural identities of the Amerindians
in Latin America was analyzed in the context of cultural integrations
and disintegrations, commonly implying cultural dominance and
cultural resistance and liberation. This dichotomy has usually
resulted in a dominance of the implanted European culture that
imposed assimilation, but it has also helped to assimilate some
authentic values. However, only one Latin American culture remains
bilingual, and even its survival is under threat. In this respect,
the role of the mass media, democratization and intercultural
communication is crucial for the survival of authentic cultural
identities. The humanistic and ethical values of cultural change
and cultural and artistic creativity therefore need to be particularly
stressed. They were discussed in the context of cultural mutations
in both Western and Eastern Europe, where intercultural relations
are dominated by the problem of adaptation and integration of
Eastern and Central European cultures into the all-European context.
Possible scenarios (cultural rejection, cultural submission, cultural
dualism, and fusion of values) were reviewed. Cultural transformation
affects all aspects of artistic creativity, which is well reflected
in the social position and status of artists.
Different interpretations of culture
give rise to different understanding of cultural change, implying
both development and transformation. Any major change, however,
should be viewed in the context of the relationship between culture
and economy, which, through their inherent differences and consequent
relations, influences the character of the rapid developmental
and transitional changes. In this respect, the choice of a culture,
the establishment and development of cultural identities and of
the cultural communication context, defines also the character
of development and the nature of transformation.
Communication and Dialogue Between
Cultures
Communication and dialogue between
cultures (discussed during the
second plenary session) is also based on the concept of culture
which is crucial in defining the models and methodologies of cultural
communication. The position of local cultural identities in global
communication networks is a good illustration of this view. Small
local cultures (for instance, in Latin America) may have no access
to global communication networks and are often isolated or confined
to communication ghettoes. The global networks may thus be accused
of acting in favour of the privileged minorities and of undermining
the self-expression of small cultures.
Different approaches to intercultural
communication were pointed out. While cultural and multicultural
communication refers mostly to the synchronic relations among
coexisting cultures, the diachronic aspects of communication refer
to the communication and interpretation of past values within
one culture. The implications of the reinterpretation of past
values for the present situation of the restructuring national
cultures are multifold and should be carefully analyzed in order
to follow and understand the structuring of new values and identities.
Synchronic communication implies "a cultural mix inside the
global mass culture". From this point of view, external relations
change into internal ones, and communication processes become
much more complex. Although most local cultures are excluded from
global communication, some of their values may be taken out of
their immediate context and globalized. They are changed in the
process and returned to the original local culture as part of
a mass, and not any longer original, popular culture.
The issue of the North-South dialogue
was tackled from the perspective of large Third World populations,
particularly African, who never get a chance to participate in
communication or even understand messages that may reach them.
The most relevant issues regarding such populations are not to
be found in the communication messages they receive, and therefore
the question whether there is any North-South dialogue should
be very carefully analyzed.
The Indian understanding of cultural
communication is defined by the comprehension of culture as a
universal value that brings an individual in direct relation to
cosmos. National or ethnic cultural identification is, in this
view, too restrictive and inhospitable for the tolerant approaches
to cultural differences. From the perspective of Eastern cultures,
the Western-type communication serves to transfer concepts and
beliefs, and not to build links among independent, different and
autonomous cultures. Instead of imposing models and techniques
of communication on different cultures, interpersonal and other
forms of communication at the global level should simply provide
a link that different cultures may use in different ways and for
different purposes.
Modes of communication within different
cultures were presented. In Nigeria, for instance, 11 indigenous
systems of non-verbal communication may be differentiated. They
were illustrated with video materials, music, African masks and
fabrics.
The way in which images can describe
cultural identity and foster a dialogue between cultures was illustrated with examples from literature and travel narratives which formed images of Spain and attitudes to Spanish culture. The role of
images was raised again in the presentation of a survey of images
that Croatian secondary school students have of other nations.
The processes influencing the formation of such images, and the
ways in which they gradually change, were described.
Exclusion/inclusion, access to information,
relevance and meaning of the message, adaptation and change of
cultural values through the process of global communication could
not be easily exhausted, but they were successfully illustrated
with numerous examples.
One such example is cultural communication
in the context of European cultural mutations, reflected in the
search for values, which is itself "a sign of the loss of
meaning in a culture". The overhead transparencies presentation
entitled Quo vadis, Europa?, very communicative and effective,
emphasized this issue spanning centuries and resurging again today,
when the search for values takes place through intercultural communication.
Cultural Policies and International
Cultural Cooperation
Cultural policies and international
cultural cooperation (third plenary
session) were discussed in the context of a dramatic
increase of cultural exchanges and transfers. The international
dimension of culture and the arts was also reinforced by the recognition of the economic significance of the cultural sector. The most striking phenomenon in international cultural relations is the
character of the market for goods and services produced by the
cultural industries. The role of governments in international
cultural relations has changed, since cultural cooperation is
ever more influenced by economic aspects. International cultural
relations are now examined in the context of international and
national organizations that are involved in both culture and economics.
Cultural cooperation among the Latin-American
countries was presented in detail.Through well-established specialized
regional organizations, cultural cooperation has proved successful
in connecting even the countries with unsettled economic and political
relations.
The discussion of cultural policies in
the post-modernist context centred on three examples of cultural
policy: the Canadian cultural policy (prototype of the influence
of communication technologies on cultures and cultural identity),
the Netherlands cultural policy (prototype of cultural democratization
based on support for good quality, diversity and participation
in culture), and the Croatian cultural policy (a national cultural
policy defined by the state, on the basis of models taken from
the European democracies). The current crisis of cultural policy
models and visions of cultural development shows that new global
solutions are needed, having in mind the process of economic,
financial and technological globalization.
The role of private enterprises and their
support for culture and financing of cultural activities was analyzed
as a case study of Brazil. Cultural consulting, cultural management
and cultural intelligence were presented in the context of global
cultural relations. Cultural institutions which cannot cope with
problems of their financing and restructuration need cultural
consulting services; cultural management is characteristic of
well-managed cultural institutions which are able to organize
their activities according to standards and ideas that are acceptable
to the institution and its social surroundings. Cultural intelligence
is characteristic of highly developed cultural industries (e.g.,
film industries), as they project cultural needs and sell their
products even before they are produced. While Europe must deal
with cultural consulting , and while it copes with some cultural
management, the American cultural industries are practising cultural
intelligence very successfully. Preparing for the 21st century
necessitates a very serious consideration of such aspects of cultural
development.
The work of the School for Cultural Management
at Dijon, and particularly its programmes transferred to Romania
for students from Eastern Europe, with the support of the Institut
Culturel Français, the British Council, the Goethe Institute
and the Cultural Centres of the Czech Republic and Hungary, were
presented in the context of cultural management.
The Role of Networks in Cultural Change
and Development
The role of networks in cultural change
and development (fourth plenary
session) is an issue that was taken up from the point of view
of different networks and their experiences. The fast growing
cultural exchange has introduced new communication needs and diminished
the role of the state. Direct contacts are best organized through
networks, as they provide for better mutual understanding and
more effective functioning. But networks may choose a very narrow
specialization and become exclusive "clubs", which invalidates
their initial open communicative function. A certain degree of
specialization is necessary, but it may be based on rather wide
areas, such as arts and education. This field seems to be under-recognized
and under-resourced now, although it is fully dedicated to the
development of the human potential and the functioning of communities.
Developing international networks in the arts and education field
can provide rich opportunities for partnerships, which strengthens
the field and encourages partnerships across boundaries. Networking
is particularly important for the funding of the cultural sector,
especially in the ex-socialist countries, where the cultural infrastructure
and institutions are barely surviving, and the cultural potential
is great and neglected. Networks and cultural communication have
become more important since free time has become a significant
organizational, cultural and economic issue in the industrial
and post-industrial societies. The "cultural revolution of
free time" influences cultural identities and supports the
building of specialized networks.
Global values spread through networks,
which should reflect the willingness to participate in the building
of sustainable co-development in the economy, finance, new technologies,
communication, education, etc. The practice of co-development
and the hybridizing of knowledge are the basic elements to support
global communication networks. The speed of communication, supported
by well-organized networks, is crucial for the fast transfer of
new values that define the global setting. Such fast transfer,
by and through networks, does not, however, materialize in financial
gains, and most networks, paradoxically, remain poor and build
their partnerships on direct interpersonal communication. This
makes for a great heterogeneity of networks and their ability
to influence and change one another through communication.
A number of functioning networks and
their communication experiences were presented: the European Network
of Cultural Administration Training Centres, the British American
Arts Association, LORETO, PRELUDE, M.A.Ï.S. International, ORACLE,
Trans Europe Halles, Réseau européen des collèges
de traducteurs littéraires, Pépinières européennes
pour jeunes artistes, Les Rencontres, etc. The networks may be
devoted to the implementation of cultural projects, to the establishment
of closer links between partners, to particular forms of artistic
creativity, to links among cities, etc. They raise the effectiveness
of communication and enhance development, creating a global developmental
context for sustainable development and cultural change.
The multiple functions and roles of networks
and the successful communication and easy accessibility of information
through them show that networks are indeed a characteristic feature
of our times, and that their functioning and development are an
expression of the role of new technologies in cultural communication,
pointing out all aspects of globalization.
Culturelink Network - Priorities,
Needs and Results
Culturelink Network - Priorities,
needs and results (special session) was discussed to provide
an evaluation of the network and to suggest future orientations
and developments.
The contemporary socio-cultural context
is a context of fragmented cultures pursuing specific and specialized
interests. In such a context, this network represents an organization
of partners sharing interests and experience in the implementation
of a project. The network functions horizontally and defines the
common interests, common will and specific cultural orientations
of partners. It operates through meetings and permanent contacts.
Responsibilities are decentralized. The network links individuals
to systems, and makes projects, ideas and people accessible. It
introduces new cooperative methods and structures.
Culturelink is a network that fully fits
a particular model, but it also actively adjusts the model to
some specific needs of its partners. This adjustment is reflected
in its heterogeneity on three levels: the network brings together
different cultures from different continents and proves that cultural
pluralism is the most important part of the global cultural heritage;
the network links different cultural institutions and organizations,
thus showing its openness and flexibility; the network brings
together very different professions (researchers, university professors,
cultural practitioners, grass-root developers, different organization
activists, etc.). This is possible thanks to the openly pronounced
cultural developmental dimension of the network.
Culturelink enjoys the status of an independent
project implemented in IRMO. The problem of the legal status and possible registration of Culturelink as a non-governmental organization was raised.
The priorities remain research, development
of data bases, and publishing. The results achieved so far encourage
Culturelink to pursue the same programme. Joint projects should
be particularly encouraged after the conference, since direct
contacts have been made and the establishment of regional centres
proposed.
Recommendations
In view of the fast growth and successful
work of Culturelink, the participants of the First World Culturelink
Conference and members of the Culturelink Network would like to
recommend the following:
- The further development and strengthening
of communication requires that regional centres for Africa, Asia,
Latin America and Eastern Europe should be established. These
are the regions in which a faster and more effective dissemination
of information on cultures and cultural development is needed.
The suggested possibility to open a regional centre for the three
Americas in Canada is welcomed and supported in this context.
- Culturelink should become better
integrated with the UNESCO UNITWIN Programme and serve as a network
linking the UNESCO chairs all over the world. It could also get
involved in other established international research, communication
and cooperation programmes in order to support the exchange of
information on cultural development and cultural change.
- The Culturelink Bulletin might be
published in French, Spanish and Russian in order to make it more
directly present on the local levels and in different language
areas. This would necessitate a substantial rise in investments
and building up of new capacities.
- The three main activities ( research,
development of data banks and publishing) should be maintained
and strengthened. However, the further steady growth of such activities
requires increased efforts in coordination and organization of
work, which directly implies investments in capacity building.
- In its research, data bases and publishing,
the Culturelink network will pay closer attention to the ongoing
cultural change and support research and exchange of information
on new cultural identities, transformation of cultures, establishment
of new cultural values, monitoring of actual influences of new
technologies on cultural development, etc.
- Financial support for Culturelink
remains a problem. Culturelink has been co-financed by UNESCO,
the Council of Europe, the Ministries of Culture and Science and
Technology of the Republic of Croatia, and by its members through
membership fees. However, the Culturelink team is constantly struggling
to cover the growing needs for additional funding. To this effect,
in order to mobilize the necessary resources for the implementation
of the Culturelink programme, the Culturelink members are invited
to prepare coordinated requests, under the aegis of the Culturelink
network, for financial contributions under the Participation Programme
of UNESCO. These requests can be presented through the UNESCO
National Commissions in the countries concerned, or through IGOs
and NGOs having agreements of cooperation with UNESCO.
- Culturelink should make every possible
effort to develop partnership relations with the Council of Europe
and other regional European organizations, striving to enlarge
such privileged partnerships to the establishment of global partnerships.
- The participants recommend that UNESCO,
the Council of Europe and other regional organizations concerned
should be informed about the results and conclusions of the Conference,
through the appropriate official channels, with a view to taking
these proposals into account in their programme activities.
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