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Biserka Cvjetičanin (10 June 1939 – 30 June 2023)
It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness that we announce the passing of our esteemed colleague, Dr Biserka Cvjetičanin, longtime coordinator of the Culturelink Network and Emerita Research Adviser, former Head of the Department for Culture and Communication (1985-2000) at the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO), Zagreb, Croatia.
Her educational path took her from the University of Zagreb to the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Sorbonne, Paris, and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She held a PhD in African Studies (comparative literature) from the University of Zagreb (1980) and was a recipient of the University of Zagreb Award for Scientific Research (1989). Dr Cvjetičanin's research work left an invaluable contribution in the field of cultural development, cultural diversity, cultural policies and intercultural communication. Some of the key authorial and editorial publications from her rich opus of studies and articles include Cultural Policy in Croatia – the National Report (1998), The Mediterranean: Cultural Identity and Intercultural Dialogue (1999), Dynamics of Communication: New Ways and New Actors (2006), Networks: The Evolving Aspects of Culture in the 21st Century (2011), Kultura u doba mreža / Culture in the Age of Networks (2014), Cultures in cooperation: realities and tendencies (2021).
Dr Biserka Cvjetičanin was the founding director and long-term executive coordinator of Culturelink - the Network of Networks for Research and Cooperation in Cultural Development. The Culturelink Network established in 1989 by UNESCO and the Council of Europe, gathered around 2,000 members and subscribers from all continents and had its focal point at IRMO. Dr Biserka Cvjetičanin was the driving force of the network during the entire period of its decades-long productive and wide-reaching activity. Culturelink was the forerunner of network organizations in culture, a visionary nexus of global cultural policies that enabled and fostered collaborations of cultural experts, researchers, agencies and ministries of culture, artists, artistic and cultural organizations even before the omnipresence of virtual communication channels. Her relentless dedication to Culturelink and international cooperation in cultural policy studies and research ensured a far-ranging international dimension of visibility and cooperation for the cultural and scientific sector of the Republic of Croatia and positioned Zagreb and Croatia as one of the centres of prominence in cultural research and cultural policy studies. Dr Cvjetičanin’s work in Culturelink promoted and affirmed numerous cultural policy scholars and researchers from all corners of the globe through networking activities, events and projects.
In addition to being an outstanding scholar and expert in the field of cultural policy, her professional trajectory involved a rich spectrum of leadership positions in governmental and supranational organisations and bodies dealing with diverse cultural policy issues. Dr Cvjetičnanin was Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Croatia between 2000 and 2004. During her mandate at the Ministry, the Croatian cultural policy was profoundly developed and advanced, introducing democratic standards in decision-making, as well as opening and positioning the Croatian cultural sector on an international scale. In the supranational scope, Dr Biserka Cvjetičanin was a member of the Scientific Council of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe (2013-2016) and a member of the UNESCO Administrative Council of the International Fund for the Promotion of Culture (2004-2008) as well as a member of the Advisory Committee for the UNESCO World Report on Cultural Diversity (2006-2009). She served at the International Advisory Board of the journal L’Observatoire des politiques Culturelles, Grenoble, France since 2007. The significance and exceptional merit of her work in promoting international cultural cooperation and weaving links between Croatia and France was recognized by the French Legion d’honneur awarded to her in 2003.
Biserka Cvjetičanin’s work left a momentous legacy for IRMO as well as for many international collaborators. It shall be treasured and fostered with great honour and gratitude.
We will miss her dearly.
May she rest in peace.
Thank you for being a part of Culturelink and bringing great value to this remarkable 30-year long endeavour passionately undertaken by Biserka Cvjetičanin. In due time, IRMO’s Department for Culture and Communication / Culturelink team is planning to prepare a commemorative conference as well as a publication in memory of Biserka Cvjetičanin’s life and work, which would be created with the support of her dear colleagues, co-workers, collaborators and friends from Croatia and abroad. Please let us know if you are interested in participating in these planned activities.
Warm regards,
Culturelink team from the Department for Culture and Communication, IRMO, Zagreb.
The In Memoriam note on Biserka Cvjetičanin can be found on the webpage of IRMO, under the following link: https://irmo.hr/novosti/in-memoriam-biserka-cvjeticanin-phd-10-june-1939-30-june-2023/
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