What does soft power make you think and how do they make you think that?
In the first of our two salons exploring the politics of culture (we’re trying to ignore party politics, but social politics still has a place in our daily discourse doesn’t it?!) we are focussing on soft power. We often think about the ways in which our values and cultural credentials are projected overseas, but in this salon we are thinking more about our perception of others and how that is affected by their cultural exports and soft power programmes.
Has China’s role in the world been affected by it’s cultural exports? Have the cultural investments by Abu Dhabi and Qatar affected the way we see these states? What about Brazil, India and Kazakhstan? How are these nations seen around the world, and are our perspectives affected by their cultural policy?
We will hear from the extraordinary Lesley Katon, who is (among many things) an International producer of Cultural and Historical documentary film that often explores untold national stories from new perspectives, and who always has a range of projects in the pipeline (some of which she will naturally not be able to share with us at the moment) that are designed to explore and shine a light on lesser known cultural stories and artists. We will also hear from two People’s Salon regulars who will share their thoughts to get the discussion started…
Some of the questions we will be asking might include;
* What cultural exports have the greatest impact on our perceptions of other states and nations?
* Which countries have shifted your perceptions about them in the recent past?
* Where would you like to go or know more about, triggered by a cultural experience?
13th April 2015
Book NowCome to The People’s Salon, where being the audience is the performance and explore the politics of global culture – listen, think, question and share…
We’re going to be posting a brief summary of some of the main conversation points after each salon, so we can continue the conversation…
If you were there, tell us anything you think we missed. If not, tell us what you would have said had you been.
The soft power of arts and culture:
The power of narratives came up frequently, and the different media through which we can transmit and receive those narratives. We worried about who is telling the story and what their motivations are, particularly where the story seems to be presenting a singular narrative.
We talked about the need to trust audiences who are complex, skeptical and are able to bring a range of critical skills and their own perspectives. We all agreed on enjoying complex and porous narratives that we can engage with, question, discover and experience. We discussed the extent to which citizens around the world are creators of culture and collaborators in the creation of soft power.
We discussed the nature of patronage, which has had a long standing role in the arts and culture. I immediately thought of the many great musical works written under the sponsorship of the courts of Europe. This idea brought us back round to the question of whose story is being told – the author’s, the editor’s or the commissioner’s?
Thanks for all your contributions, the conversation continues…