The Cultural Turn in International Aid: Impacts and Challenges for Heritage and the Creative Industries
- Submitting institution
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The University of Kent
- Unit of assessment
- 29 - Classics
- Output identifier
- 14224
- Type
- B - Edited book
- DOI
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10.4324/9781351208598
- Publisher
- Routledge
- ISBN
- 9780815382294
- Open access status
- -
- Month of publication
- -
- Year of publication
- 2019
- URL
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- Supplementary information
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- Request cross-referral to
- 15 - Archaeology
- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
- -
- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
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- Research group(s)
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- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- The research process: whilst a number of books take for granted the cultural turn in international aid (e.g. Willis, 2005; Niedersen, 2010), this volume takes a different stand. Its main aim is to discuss whether and how cultural projects funded through international aid fulfil the characteristics of the cultural turn. The cultural turn in international aid is defined as taking better account of the specificities of cultural contexts and local communities; as promoting culture as a force to peace-building, post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation. Finally, it is also defined as cultural diplomacy.
Commissioned papers fulfil the aim of the volume. A first set of commissioned papers address how international organisations have defined the cultural turn in international aid. Authors who have either worked for international organisations on culture and international aid or critically studied them were selected, to report on their findings. The second section shifts to in-depth critical analyses of donor funded cultural projects at national and local levels. The third and final section assesses whether and how donor funded cultural projects help to address global challenges. To ensure in-depth engagement with the topic, I selected primarily authors who had led international aid funded cultural projects but had been critical of their own practical experiences.
The research insights: the conclusion reports on the main findings from the book. Most chapters detail that the cultural turn has not yet occurred in international aid funded projects, because of the sole focus on their economic aspects; the lack of support for cultural projects funded by international aid; the constant disregard for local communities, as well as the continued asymmetrical power relations between ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ countries. The conclusion also provides concrete solutions to these problems, focusing on how to change attitudes, and therefore outcomes and power relations.
- Author contribution statement
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- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
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