'Putting Culture First' - Research Project
In March 2008, the Commonwealth Foundation's Culture and Diversity Programme launched a major research project into culture, cultural policy and development, called "Putting Culture First".
"I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any."
- Mahatma Gandhi
Protecting and promoting one's own culture while recognising and valuing the existence of others has been a fundamental challenge through much of the Commonwealth's history. Maintaining cultural diversity, though, is more than an end in itself, and in recent decades global efforts have increasingly been made to link culture and development.
Some links, of course, are more obvious than others. Culture has been widely used as an instrument of development and governance, and the Commonwealth Foundation's Culture Toolkit documents examples of best practice, such as the use of radio to increase accountability in Belize. Similarly, there's a lot of value in the adoption of culturally sensitive and sustainable methods to pursue development goals, such as spreading the message of HIV/AIDs prevention through local cultural methods.
But how does 'culture' become intrinsic to development, rather than simply instrumental? "Putting Culture First" is a research project aiming to make culture a foundational pillar of development, and to identify how best to make the links.
One departure point is a focus on cultural policy. A recent UNESCO Convention, entering force in 2007, promises to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions. Issues such as copyright, international trade rights in the cultural sector and assistance for artists and cultural practitioners are all tackled by the Convention. In particular, though, it is through the affirmation of states' sovereign right to adopt and implement cultural policies aimed at fostering the growth of the creative industries that the Convention seeks to release the economic, social and human development potential of culture. In November 2007, Commonwealth civil society called upon member states to ratify and implement the Convention.
The Convention, however, focuses primarily on the creative industries; arts, literature, film, music and so on. Good cultural policy aimed at fostering creativity in these fields is increasingly being seen as a prerequisite for social development. But it is also entirely possible that cultural policy may not turn out to be the silver bullet some believe it to be, and that an interpretation of 'culture' as something more passive, automatic and behavioural still holds weight. Engaging with different approaches to culture and development, as well as conceptualising related issues of creativity, identity, transformation, social cohesion and building a 'good society', are therefore paramount concerns for Commonwealth governments and civil society.
"Putting Culture First" will be launched as a report in November 2008.
Click here to find out more about the research process.
Click here to find out more about the key questions to be addressed by Putting Culture First.
Click here to answer our online questionnaire, or download the PDF file at the bottom of this page and return it by mail or email no later than Friday 1st August.
Click here to take part in an online discussion, through our e-consultation on culture and development.
