We want to develop thinking on the cultural relationship between Europe and the rest of the world.

With this in mind, Gerald Lidstone, director of the Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship at Goldsmiths, University of London, and ENCATC Board Member and launched the “Europe International” Thematic Area in 2007.

We want to move the thinking on from a goal of ‘Intercultural Dialogue’ to the dialogue being a process rather than an aim.

The aim being to use the dialogue to achieve actions that lead to intercultural respect, if nor understanding. With regard to policies and competencies, we believe that staff and students need to develop competencies and skills to work worldwide across and between cultures, to understand and respect cultural difference in both policy and management. This is best achieved through dialogue with partner organisations institutions and networks in countries outside Europe.

Our Thematic Area will research existing and emerging networks worldwide concerned with the teaching of international cultural policy and cultural management and where appropriate develop a relationship with them, for example the new Higher Education Cultural Policy network in Japan, UK Cultural Policy and Management Network and Asia – Europe Foundation. ENCATC will research and share knowledge of the specific  international schemes and funding to facilitate international exchange of the arts of member EU and related countries – to encourage inclusion within curricula and discussion and analysis.

Interview with thematic area chair Gerald Lidstone,
Goldsmiths University of London, UK, ENCATC Board member

What is the rationale of your thematic area?

We want to develop thinking on the cultural relationship between Europe and the rest of the world. We want to move the thinking on from a goal of ‘Intercultural Dialogue’ to the dialogue being a process rather than an aim. The aim being to use the dialogue to achieve actions that lead to intercultural respect, if nor understanding. With regard to policies and competencies, we believe that staff and students need to develop competencies and skills to work worldwide across and between cultures, to understand and respect cultural difference in both policy and management. This is best achieved through dialogue with partner organisations institutions and networks in countries outside Europe.

Our thematic area will research existing and emerging networks worldwide concerned with the teaching of international cultural policy and cultural management and where appropriate develop a relationship with them, for example the new Higher Education Cultural Policy network in Japan, UK Cultural Policy and Management Network and Asia – Europe Foundation. ENCATC will research and share knowledge of the specific  international schemes and funding to facilitate international exchange of the arts of member EU and related countries – to encourage inclusion within curricula and discussion and analysis.

We will through symposia examine the role of national cultural agencies such as the Institut Francais, Goethe Institut, British Council, Instituto Cervantes, Romanian Cultural Foundation the OMNI Foundation Bulgaria in a European and International context.

Diversity of students is important for us. Many academic partners within the network have a significant percentage of students from outside Europe. There is a need to develop understanding by staff of the cultural context and the cultural key issues that concern these students. In addition evidence suggests that students from different cultures/countries working together on projects and programmes (as they maintain their contacts) leads, when employed back in their countries, to a greater future movement of performances/exhibitions worldwide and an enrichment of intercultural dialogue.

We will provide the forum – through conferences and web dialogue – for both members and others to develop strategies to deal with these concerns and provide practical examples of good practice to disseminate into the public domain.

Finally, with regard to learning and teaching, staff in Universities have to be able to reflect on cultural policy and practice in Europe with their students there needs to be further knowledge and dialogue with universities from countries outside the EU. There also needs to be dialogue with the national agencies responsible for policy – this could initially be achieved in part through International Federation of Arts Councils and Cultural Agencies, IFFACCA.

This dialogue will be focused on the exchange and translation of key documents and bibliographies for staff and students to become more familiar with policy and practice in other countries. This links directly to the ENCATC Bibliographies Project.

Who participates in the thematic area, whom do you target?

Those members, and non-members, interested in developing an international perspective outside of Europe to their teaching and research. This is in a range of areas including cultural policy outside of Europe, the global agenda of UNESCO, international issues of copyright, cultural diplomacy, intercultural dialogue and intercultural projects, European relationships with world partners, governmental and academic.

We target all members of ENCATC and interested individuals, NGOs and organisations. The thematic area’s international forum in June 2009 in London on “Cultural Diplomacy and culture in a changing world” had attendance in addition from ENCATC members from a number of national embassies and governments, independent researchers, artists and students. A report and video of this event will soon be available on this site www.gold.ac.uk/icce/ and will be linked to the ENCACT website. The event was funded by the UNESCO Commission of the Slovak Republic, VSMU Bratislava, European Network of Cultural Administration Training Centres ENCATC.

The British Centre of the International Theatre Institute and Goldsmiths, University of London and we would like to thank the Romanian Cultural Centre (www.romanianculturalcentre.org.uk) for its partnership in hosting the event.

What are your further activities?

We want to develop further the ENCATC bibliography on international cultural policy, cultural diplomacy and transnational projects. This will require input from all members.

We aim to build a database of international grants between Europe and International Partners, which will take some time but could be useful. We also want thematic area members to present projects they seek partners for at the ENCATC annual conferences.