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In the past decades, anyone working in the cultural sector may have witnessed that public cultural policy (in Western Europe) has become entangled in a politicised discourse, and the use of keywords like “culture”, “democracy” and “policy” has increasingly become opaque and opportunistic, stalemating the interplay between policy and practice (In this transitional policy-landscape the core concepts (culture, the arts, democracy, policy) have started drifting. In policy documents the term “culture” may, for example, mean: way of life, civilisation, identity-set, value-set, expressions, the arts or a combination of those. “Democracy” (in a cultural context) may, for example, refer to: representation, deliberation, participation, plurality, diversity, inclusiveness or cultural struggle (see e.g. Bailey et al., Cultural governance – Current and future European Perspectives. Routledge, 2024)) (Drion, The dynamics of culture. In C. Bailey et al. Cultural governance – Current and future European perspectives (pp. 5–28). Routledge, 2024). In this context, as a researcher and policy adviser, the focus of my work has shifted to new vocabularies for cultural policy, and practical methods to direct the attention of policy back towards what is actually happening between real people (e.g. Drion, De waarden van sociaal-liberaal cultuurbeleid. Boekman (95), 2013, 2018, Towards a theory and practice of cultural communication. ENCATC Journal of Cultural Management and Policy. ENCATC, 2022b, Dat het ander kan – overwegingen bij een “why” van nieuw cultuurbeleid. Arts in Society. https://artsinsociety.net/2023/06/22/dat-het-anders-kan/ , 2023a). This chapter explores what these efforts may bring in relation to “cultural democracy”. The general frame of mind inspiring this exploration is that culture is something people do, and that, consequently, cultural democracy should be related to a process conception of culture, that is: how people culturally interact. As such, this chapter aims to contribute to a new vocabulary by connecting (communication, play and systems) theory in a way that has perhaps not yet been done in the current discourse. The conclusion of this chapter, however, is uncomplicated: if we want to foster cultural democracy, we must foster cultural encounter.

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Culture, Contingency and Democracy, an Invitation to Cultural Encounter

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

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  • Geert Drion

摘要

In the past decades, anyone working in the cultural sector may have witnessed that public cultural policy (in Western Europe) has become entangled in a politicised discourse, and the use of keywords like “culture”, “democracy” and “policy” has increasingly become opaque and opportunistic, stalemating the interplay between policy and practice (In this transitional policy-landscape the core concepts (culture, the arts, democracy, policy) have started drifting. In policy documents the term “culture” may, for example, mean: way of life, civilisation, identity-set, value-set, expressions, the arts or a combination of those. “Democracy” (in a cultural context) may, for example, refer to: representation, deliberation, participation, plurality, diversity, inclusiveness or cultural struggle (see e.g. Bailey et al., Cultural governance – Current and future European Perspectives. Routledge, 2024)) (Drion, The dynamics of culture. In C. Bailey et al. Cultural governance – Current and future European perspectives (pp. 5–28). Routledge, 2024). In this context, as a researcher and policy adviser, the focus of my work has shifted to new vocabularies for cultural policy, and practical methods to direct the attention of policy back towards what is actually happening between real people (e.g. Drion, De waarden van sociaal-liberaal cultuurbeleid. Boekman (95), 2013, 2018, Towards a theory and practice of cultural communication. ENCATC Journal of Cultural Management and Policy. ENCATC, 2022b, Dat het ander kan – overwegingen bij een “why” van nieuw cultuurbeleid. Arts in Society. https://artsinsociety.net/2023/06/22/dat-het-anders-kan/ , 2023a). This chapter explores what these efforts may bring in relation to “cultural democracy”. The general frame of mind inspiring this exploration is that culture is something people do, and that, consequently, cultural democracy should be related to a process conception of culture, that is: how people culturally interact. As such, this chapter aims to contribute to a new vocabulary by connecting (communication, play and systems) theory in a way that has perhaps not yet been done in the current discourse. The conclusion of this chapter, however, is uncomplicated: if we want to foster cultural democracy, we must foster cultural encounter.