Cultural and Media Policy Studies News and Events

New Book by Jeremy Ahearne: Government through Culture and the Contemporary French Right

Jeremy Ahearne has published a new book – Government Through Culture and the Contemporary French Right (Palgrave, November 2014).

Culture, understood broadly, lay at the heart of contrasting right-wing strategies for government in France during the pivotal decade of 2002–2012. Looking at issues of political secularism, educational reform, televisual performance, public memory and nation-branding, the book analyses how Presidents Chirac and Sarkozy sought to redefine contemporary French identity. This study extends prevailing conceptions of 'cultural policy' and shows how this constitutes a core dimension, alongside economic and social policies, of modern right-wing government. It traces, over the course of the decade in question, a dramatic hardening of the attitudes and values informing these programmes for cultural hegemony. These reflect enduring transformations in the political and symbolic landscape of contemporary France.

For reviews and further details see http://www.palgrave.com/page/detail/government-through-culture-and-the-contemporary-french-right-jeremy-ahearne/?K=9781137290984

Mon 01 Dec 2014, 12:04 | Tags: Publications, Events

CCPS Research Seminar: Heritage Policy Under New Labour

On Wednesday the 26th November the Centre will be hosting the second of this term's research seminars. Dr. Melissa Nisbett will be talking about her recent research into the cultural policies of New Labour, with a specific focus on the shifting understanding and treatment of 'heritage'. An abstract and bio is below,

The talk will be in G50 of Millburn House at 6pm and will be followed by some light refreshments. Please e-mail Paula Watkins on p.watkins@warwick.ac.uk to reserve your place.

Abstract
This paper explores heritage policy under the UK Labour government (1997-2010). Having dropped the term ‘heritage’ from the name of the cultural ministry in favour of ‘culture, media and sport’ and slashed the sector’s funding, Labour were frequently accused of neglecting or even showing hostility towards heritage (for example, Christiansen, 2007; Hunt, 2007; Aslet, 2008). Widely perceived as being obsessed with the contemporary at the expense of the historical, this paper considers the party’s record on heritage and argues that it is considerably more complex than this reading suggests.

During Labour’s administration, a process of galvanisation was taking place within heritage. When the party lost the General Election in 2010, the heritage sector was flourishing. Its organisations were in a buoyant financial state and arguably more independent than ever - but how can we square Labour’s funding cuts with this and what part does cultural policy play?

Biography
Melissa Nisbett is a Lecturer in Arts and Cultural Management at King’s College London, specialising in cultural policy, arts management and cultural diplomacy. She is currently working on a book entitled Cultural Policy Under New Labour (with David Hesmondhalgh, Kate Oakley and David Lee), which will be published by Palgrave in 2015. Prior to becoming an academic, Melissa worked in arts management for ten years in a variety of roles including marketing and public relations, freelance consultancy and as a trustee.

Tue 11 Nov 2014, 16:27 | Tags: Research Seminars Faculty of Arts

CCPS Research Seminar: 'Valuing' El Sistema in the UK

On Wednesday 5th November we'll be hosting the first of this term's CCPS Research seminars.

Dr. Mark Rimmer of the University of East Anglia will be talking about his recent AHRC funded research into the British variant of the Venezualan El Sistema model of participatory music education. An abstract of the paper and a bio of Mark is below.

The seminar will start at 5.30 pm and wil be held in G50 of Millburn House. Please let Paula Watkins know on p.watkins@warwick.ac.uk if you plan to attend.

Abstract

Understanding the Cultural Value of ‘In Harmony-Sistema England’

This presentation will discuss empirical findings from an AHRC-sponsored research project designed to explore questions of cultural value in relation to In Harmony-Sistema England (hereafter IHSE). IHSE is a social and music education programme whose approach and philosophy derives from the Venezuelan ‘El Sistema’ model, developed in the 1970s. The model emphasizes intensive ensemble participation, group learning, peer teaching and a commitment to musical learning. In 2009 three pilot IHSE projects were developed in England and in 2011 the programme was extended so that today there are a total of seven IHSE projects operating across England. Of particular interest to the research team, in terms of questions of cultural value, is the fact that that where most approaches to youth-focussed music participation in Britain have, to date, attempted to link music to forms of social good by employing popular music forms, IHSE predominantly uses classical and folk music, adopting a quite systematised learning approach and an orchestral model. This presentation will summarize findings from this research project then, paying particular attention to the ways in which different project stakeholders (from children and parents to teachers and IHSE musicians) understand and figure the forms of value embedded in their IHSE project activities.

Bio

Dr Mark Rimmer is a Lecturer in Media Studies at the University of East Anglia. His research addresses questions of musical taste, practice and education, alongside a concern with questions of class and cultural distinction. To date, much of his research activity has focussed on community arts initiatives, the working lives of community artists and related cultural policy. He has recently completed two AHRC-funded research projects: an AHRC Research Network exploring community music activity in the UK and a comparative project exploring question of cultural value in relation to three ‘In Harmony-Sistema England’ initiatives.

Tue 21 Oct 2014, 17:28 | Tags: Research Seminars Events Faculty of Arts