Beginning with culture - seven theses by Dr. Enrique Banus Irusta - Ποιειν Και Πραττειν

Beginning with culture - seven theses by Dr. Enrique Banus Irusta

Director of the Charlemagne Institute for European Studies, Barcelona

He introduced his thoughts around the theme: "if Jean Monnet was right? Beginning with Culture“

Despite the linguistic aspect mentioned by the director of the German House and in being in Paris, France, he spoke in English.

At the beginning he mentioned that whenever the Academy deals with culture, we feel a bit ashamed when seeing how people fight in the streets for culture. Therefore he wants to bring only some reflections into the discussion. However, academics do deal with theoretical issues which can be fruitful for these discussions.

Protocol of his speech:

Monnet quote – refers to European integration – we know this is false or there is no proof he said it – perhaps he would have been even astonished by this attribution.

He wants to underline this sentence as it expresses something of importance, namely that there is a link between culture and the realisation of a socio-economic and political project.

Thesis 1: the disappearance of politics and its substitution by economy

Economy means budget and budget means cuts

Culture means mainly fight against cuts

Spain / Catalonia – in crisis – maybe you come from countries where the crisis is not so evident but in our country the public discourse about crisis and cuts dominates everything.

In the past only talk was about football

Cultural debate is not only about cuts in the budget – since the 80s we have learned to see how relevant culture can be for inclusive societies, urban regeneration, cohesion, factor of development etc.

We should not lose this heritage.

We stay in front of relevant challenges to create an inclusive society – in a time of increasing of maybe not Nationalisation but self reference how to realise the encounter with the others living in the same space, the city. The exotic other is no longer a daily lived reality.

Public administration – complemented by the creation of self initiatives – this means a quest for alternative sources of financing culture

Europe scepticism – the distance is there – challenge of transmitting hope and optimism

Without creativity it is not possible to continue to develop, and this cannot be based solely on the initiative of people.

It is a problem for politics: so what is cultural policy – it is not about only cuts but in keeping up this positive spirit

and therefore a matter how to support this.

We have to be against neo liberal temptation that culture has to organize itself.

Culture is not a separate world.

There have to be links to the other sectors of society: culture to economy.

Thesis 2: cultural life

As a professor he has students doing research of a medium sized city with 90 000 inhabitants. They looked into how cultural activities were organized over one year and found out that there is one auditorium, two universities, in short the visible cultural infrastructure. But they started to look for other places where cultural activities take place and found 200 other places. Indeed, cultural activities take place in many places than what we have normally in mind, and very often we do not perceive this.

Families, friends, small associations organize cultural activities. This amounts to what citizens can do for culture. It is important to discover what is done in the city by so many actors. Things can be done even by pubs e.g. doing an exhibition or even a hair dresser showing in the shop different hair styles. All of this is a richness in the cities.

We do not have to mobilise society for we have to look where society is already mobilised.

We have to look how to increase quality and open up activities to other audiences.

Also we need to complement these other activities – that is the principle of subsidiarity.

This is a challenge for the next years: how to link the build up of a cultural infrastructure with the creation of a cultural society.

All participate in civic life. We have as a goal the creation and the participation in culture, and this can only be done at local level where the citizens live and work: in concrete the AGORAS.

Thesis 3: freedom of cultural operators

Someone working in culture is part of a network and executes a certain budget, hence there are constraints and it means being exposed to complaints. Many cultural managers are loyal to the mission of the institution for which they are working but they can also open up spaces for own cultural activities. This is possible only if this person has authority – moral authority. To realise this part of cultural life, he or she has to be convinced.

He does not think of great personalities, but about all those who work at local level in a very modest way but efficient.

Their authority is based on 4 factors

knowledge of culture
communication: ability to convince – starts inside the organisation for you have to convince the boss about the goodness of your proposal – here is a big challenge: cultural communication (not to be confused with marketing)
commitment – to believe in what he or she is doing – this is something you feel if you talk to a cultural manager
success: very convincing if you are successful with your projects

To present a coherent programme is the main instrument of cultural management. Projects are a part of a programme and it is these programmes which give a face to the institution.

Thesis 4: no to instrumentalization

Create our diversity – culture is not an instrument of development but the goal – this was a turning point when the economic value of culture was discovered and the relevance for the creation of jobs realized, but in this report culture is not an instrument but development itself.

Warning about the instrumentalization of culture – now we look at the EU 2020 vision and therefore let us be aware of the danger of instrumentalization – the strategy is a necessity but we have to go beyond that for culture is not a part of strategy – culture is a precondition for such a strategy.

Thesis 5: Max Weber – the Protestant Ethics

To remind Max Weber discovered the religious factor of economy. Since then other schools perceived culture as secondary factor. Now we have to try to bring into focus that culture is a driving force. Indeed, if you look at the crisis, some roots are cultural.

Culture is not a secondary effect of evolutions. At the same time, we must be aware of the complexity involved.

Thesis 6: The discovery of the European dimension

167 Article – Maastricht - common cultural heritage

2 approaches: do it by addition or by excellence (the most relevant)

He thinks common cultural heritage is more than that. But how to discover the European dimension? He thinks that diversity has common elements, but we must discover them e.g. the link to other St. Martin churches. Also songs crossed borders before there was any great mobility. We must show living of different cultures and making transparent that Europe is a living process. At the same time, the identity discourse is very complex and maybe also a dangerous one. Much more promising is the policy to open spaces or else to let people discover spaces for dialogues. D Romanticism: can talk with all others in their respective cultures – see Ernst Gombrich

Thesis 7: since 2009 – Extra World

We exchange information – speak about 'best' practices (why are not good practices enough?) – create synergies. But what works are personal encounters. Even in a time when being European is not in vogue, still people want to talk with others with all engaged for the same common project

Conclusion:

Argentine may be recalled in a time of crisis. They reflected upon the world and came to the conclusion that there were too many problems, not enough solutions. This is because too many analyse and there are not enough people who offer solutions.

Follow-up discussion

Roger Tropeano

as a first comment, the seven thesis have put into some order our thoughts and this especially by putting things in a time perspective: past, present and future
to explain why the Lisbon strategy did not work as this raises the question if the EU 2020 strategy can work
important about this reference to Monnet is underlying fact that culture is the solution and not just the economy
these ideas should be at the basis of the local level when reflecting about future cultural policy

Comment from the audience:

US survey about creative people highlighted that they are more optimistic – a good illustration, and secondly, 1954, European Cultural Convention is an important document to remember.

Odile Wolfs: Maastrich Treaty – culture mentioned but what was the missing link

Roger's answers:

Optimists are misinformed pessimists
Many are still in a privileged position while many generations have experienced war, so that we as Europeans are experiencing the longest period of peace and for this have to be grateful for the work done to make possible Europe. We should not give in to all the nervous reactions to the crisis.
In the sixties the European Parliament asked for more culture inside the Community. This has led to include cultural action in the work of the European Communities . It was a long and difficult path but while cultural competences are minimal preconditions, it is still difficult to speak about Cultural Policy. Many more prefer to speak only about cultural action. However, the problem is on the side of the state, regions and local levels – why? They fear to lose competences. It has to do with adding to diversity; rather they should take care of this common cultural heritage. Of course, diversity is at the core of everything, but how to deal with the subsidiarity? It is advisable to deal with common cultural heritage – see Tindermann Report. The common cultural heritage does exist but you have to discover it as well. It is done by broadening the mind to new experiences of the own local culture – e.g. St. Martin's church – Martin's day celebrated throughout Europe, or else the 11^th of Nov. is the beginning of carnival in Cologne. So how to connect this with the rest of Europe if not by adding value to these local assets by recognizing its connectivity to what else exists in other places in Europe.

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Beginning with culture - seven theses by Dr. Enrique Banus Irusta