CfP: Annual Conference of the German-speaking Association for Arts Management 2019 on "Arts and Citizenship. Towards Diversity of Cultural Expressions"

Cultural diversity as a multiplicity of sub-cultures and different value systems in plural organizations and societies has been subject to extensive discussions across industries and academic disciplines. The UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005), ratified by 144 parties as of June 2016, shows broad consensus on questions related to sustainable cultural development. The convention encourages governments to introduce policies for culture within a global context and to commit to protecting and promoting the diversity of cultural expressions. Cultural policy, however, has frequently lagged behind in establishing practices and measures to achieve these aims. Right now, political party system and ideological shifts in many countries seemingly threaten the diversity of cultural expressions as concerns budgetary, infrastructural or content-related commitments. Now may be the time to adopt and articulate clear positions on the value(s) of arts and culture and on the relationships between culture, artists and society as well as encompassing processes, practices and institutions. It may also be time to discuss conceptions, practices and visions of citizenship with, within or against the arts in an arts and management research context.

A popular concept of artistic citizenship addresses how artists, educators, scholars and other actors in music, theatre, visual arts, literature, dance/movement, etc. prepare for, and participate in, civic life to advance democratic citizenship and cultural leadership. This consideration of citizenship goes beyond an individuals or organizations legal status and encompasses social, political, cultural and symbolic practices as collective or individual deeds that rupture social-historical patterns (Isin & Nielsen 2013: 2). Involving the arts, cultural actors and their practices further implies that we might need to consider the complex interplay of arts, science and society that shape how subjects perceive and perform their political rights and obligations. Furthermore, a variety of methodological and pedagogical questions for scholarly inquiry and arts and arts management education should be discussed and included into institutional citizenship activities.

Sample questions that can be explored within the conference topic are:

Submit a proposal

Individual presentations, proposals for panel discussions (90 minutes) as well as suggestions for workshops or other artistic and/or experimental formats are welcome for the conference.

For individual contributions (presentations), the proposals should consist of an abstract with max. 2,500 characters plus a brief biography. For workshops, panel discussions or other formats please submit an abstract of max. 2,500 characters for the overall format as well as further abstracts on the individual contributions (if applicable) and short biographies of contributors.

The conference is open for contributions in English (preferred) and German.

Deadline: June 30, 2018

Submissions should be sent to: ArtsAndCitizenship@mdw.ac.at

The selection of proposals is carried out in a joint double-blind review process by the conference team and the advisory board. Review criteria are: the originality of the proposal, the methodical approach as well as the application of the presentation to the aims of the conference. Please indicate whether you would like to mark your contribution as an academic or practitioner paper.

Notifications of acceptance and rejection shall be made by August 15, 2018.