What was happening here was never normal anyway: A series of vignettes

Profound social, cultural and ecological re-thinking that has been taking place should have a strong dialogue and impact with and on the cultural and artistic field. As a curator and cultural worker who acts in awareness of and by using their white privilege, I feel the necessity to propose a transformed way of understanding the methods of working within the field of artistic practices as an important part of the social sector of care work. What would it mean if societies in the Global North valued the artists and cultural workers of all disciplines who are working on caring practices as if they belonged to the above-mentioned category of essential workers?

(Re)examination of the Aspects of African Cultural Production through Different Epochs

This paper sought to examine how African Culture has undergone the processes of production, development and change through four different epochs, namely: pre-colonial period, colonial period, independent period and post-independent period. The study applies the post-colonial theory, which broadly deals with the study of the effects of colonialism on cultures and societies, to interrogate the (un)changing perceptions of Africans across different epochs. Post-colonial theory is often said to commence with the work of Edward Said, Stuart Hall and Homi K. Bhabha. The approach looks at literature and society from two broad angles: how the writer, artist, cultural worker, and his or her context imitates a colonial past, and how they survive and carve out a new way of creating and understanding the world. It is anxious with both how European nations conquered and controlled “Third world” cultures and how these groups have since responded to and resisted those encroachments. The study is qualitative, employing discourse data obtained from a close reading of the text. The paper contributes knowledge on how various factors such as slavery, colonialism; migration, technology and globalization have contributed to cultural production, development and change.

Nynorskforfattarar reiser heim. Fire Garborg-forteljingar – fire museum

In 1924 the author Arne Garborg’s summer house Knudaheio in Time, Rogaland, was turned into an authentic house museum, at that time the fifth author museum in Norway and the third dedicated to an author writing in Nynorsk. Three more Garborg museums opened in 1951, 1996 and 2012, also including his wife, the author and cultural worker Hulda Garborg. This study compares the Garborg narratives developed and displayed in the four museums. Quite traditional narratives in the two oldest museums differ from the narratives in the two younger where stronger efforts are made to show the relevance of Arne and Hulda Garborg’s life and work today. The Garborg museums are used as a case to investigate what characterizes Nynorsk, and in more general, minority language author museums founded by cultural movements as tools in promoting a linguistic programme.

The Mobilization of Using Cultures and Local Government’s Political-Economy Goals in Post-Reformation Banyuwangi

This article deals with an ethnic identity-based-power through the mobilization of Using cultures in Banyuwangi under local government policies in post-Reformation. By juxtaposing Foucauldian discourse, Gramscian hegemony, and political economy perspective, we discuss some cultural projects conducted by two Banyuwangi regents in post-Reformation periods, Samsul Hadi (2000-2005) and Abdullah Azwar Anas (2010-2015 and re-elected for 2016-2021 period). With different emphasized aspects, both of them created programs, which incorporated and mobilized Using cultures for accomplishing their political economy goals. Samsul legalized Using cultural expression, such as a local dance and language, as the way to strengthen the dominant-ethnic identity and reach consensus for his political authority. In more sparkling activities, Anas has transformed Using identity into various carnival programs, which, in one side, have supported tourism industry and, in other side, have helped him in gaining consensus for his hegemonic position. However, in the context of real cultural empowerment, those programs have not given positive effect for the cultural worker in the grass root.

The Mobilization of Using Cultures and Local Government’s Political-Economy Goals in Post-Reformation Banyuwangi

This article deals with an ethnic identity-based-power through the mobilization of Using cultures in Banyuwangi under local government policies in post-Reformation. By juxtaposing Foucauldian discourse, Gramscian hegemony, and political economy perspective, we discuss some cultural projects conducted by two Banyuwangi regents in post-Reformation periods, Samsul Hadi (2000-2005) and Abdullah Azwar Anas (2010-2015 and re-elected for 2016-2021 period). With different emphasized aspects, both of them created programs, which incorporated and mobilized Using cultures for accomplishing their political economy goals. Samsul legalized Using cultural expression, such as a local dance and language, as the way to strengthen the dominant-ethnic identity and reach consensus for his political authority. In more sparkling activities, Anas has transformed Using identity into various carnival programs, which, in one side, have supported tourism industry and, in other side, have helped him in gaining consensus for his hegemonic position. However, in the context of real cultural empowerment, those programs have not given positive effect for the cultural worker in the grass root.

Cultural worker as an agent of influence

The author starts with the question of how in today?s supposedly post-sovereign world, cultural patterns are being established and changed. It is observed that the culture today has become a real battlefield and that the process of inculcating cultural and value patterns takes the form of psychological warfare. Therefore, the author specifically focuses on the figure of the so-called agent of influence, exploring how this agent influences the fields of culture and cultural policy. Particularly interesting for investigation from the history of the twentieth century is the cultural propaganda of the Comintern between the two world wars, and the intelligence and propaganda activities of the CIA during the Cold War. After these examples from an international arena, the author analyzes the activities of foreign agents of influence in the cultural and educational policy of Serbia. The author concludes that for effective defense and counter-intelligence protection of a state from such attacks, it has to have a clear awareness of the national interest as a starting point.

Guldslør. Performative strategier som kritik og affirmation i senkapitalismen

Is immersive performance art with its blurred identities, parallel worlds and transformational potential the perfect genre for hidden capitalist interests, bad working conditions and commercial branding? Following the motive of the veil, and the gesture of unveiling as form of critique, the article examines the relation between labour of performance art, commercial funding and subjectivation in late capitalism. Departing from the claim that the cultural worker – flexible, creative, innovative and self managing – is the role model of today’s neoliberal work ethos, the article analyses strategies of unveiling of the production conditions and work ethos of performance art today.

Become the Ideal Cultural Worker in 86 Steps – A Handbook

Be a revolutionary. Demand the impossible. Be transgressive and provocative. Always do one more thing than you can do. Always do more than you can. Always do more… a handbook that will tell you, in 86 steps, how to become a model self-employed cultural worker in late capitalism.