The Cultural Age
Online and in the streets we encounter a more diverse range of cultures than ever before. Culture is a space in which values are expressed and interpretated. In partnership with the AHRC, Demos is hosting two seminars to investigate how policy-makers can link up with academics to think about what this means, and how the understanding of complex cultural issues can be brought into different policy areas.
The Cultural Age - Integration and Cohesion
at 2:40pm on Friday, 27th June 2008
Earlier this week, we held the second of our two seminars on The Cultural Age.
It focused on integration and cohesion. One of the most interesting things to emerge was that much is going on in the cultural sector, policy-making and academic research but, often, each is unaware of what is going on in the other. At the very least, some of those ends could be tied up in conversations between participants of Monday's session. Another area of debate was long-term change. Cultural participation can be a vital means of drawing communities together and raising awareness of different values, but this takes time. Many of the cultural practitioners present on Monday made the point that funding structures do not necessarily support this.
As we go on with the work, we'll be tackling these issues, and others raised in the first seminar. In particular, I'll be interested in looking at the implication that emerging cultural forms and the wider participation brought about by easier access to technologies and means of distribution will have on the importance we will have to place on cultural interpretation in education and other agenda. In the meantime, we've posted the introductory speech on the website.
It focused on integration and cohesion. One of the most interesting things to emerge was that much is going on in the cultural sector, policy-making and academic research but, often, each is unaware of what is going on in the other. At the very least, some of those ends could be tied up in conversations between participants of Monday's session. Another area of debate was long-term change. Cultural participation can be a vital means of drawing communities together and raising awareness of different values, but this takes time. Many of the cultural practitioners present on Monday made the point that funding structures do not necessarily support this.
As we go on with the work, we'll be tackling these issues, and others raised in the first seminar. In particular, I'll be interested in looking at the implication that emerging cultural forms and the wider participation brought about by easier access to technologies and means of distribution will have on the importance we will have to place on cultural interpretation in education and other agenda. In the meantime, we've posted the introductory speech on the website.