International Conference on Culture and Cultural Policies
Vienna, Austria, 24-25.04.2014.
Conference venue: ***** Hotel Le Meridien, Opernring 13-15, Vienna, Austria
RATIONALE
Culture is a set of rules and behavioural patterns we learn with socialisation. However, in a globalised (and multicultural) world culture became subject of discussions from various points of views, and its importance is not losing strength.
In the past century, we witnessed many attempts to foster cultural agendas using popular culture where identities were formed in a way to present one nation to other nations in a favourable way, and where audiences were confronted with various messages that are sometimes blurred with first-hand experiences. States indeed invest funding in their cultural policies, and particularly in their cultural policies oriented towards abroad via external cultural institutes, or tourist offers where culture is emphasized as an achievement of a certain nation (most notably, in art and music). Cultural relations, on the other hand, are centred on creating mutual recognition and understanding, however, many scholars and practitioners expressed criticism calling Western countries as imperialists imposing their cultural patterns over less advanced countries just via peaceful means and not through colonialism anymore.
On the other hand, culture is often a subject of discussion when minority groups are in stake because minorities find themselves surrounded by different culture, and in a dilemma whether to assimilate or to preserve their culture while still trying to lead average lives. The latter is then subject of criticism from conservatives and the Far Right that insist on integration, an unclear term that sometimes seems more like forced integration.
A selection of photos is available in the gallery below:
Saved as a favorite, І like your web site!