In her lecture, Dr Praznik addressed the persistent invisibility of labour in the cultural sector, the precarity of artistic and cultural work, and the relationship between research, cultural policy, and collective organising. Drawing on social reproduction analyses and experiences of organising art and cultural workers in Slovenia and Croatia, the lecture examined how artistic labour is often framed as individual creativity or a ‘labour of love’, obscuring exploitation, unpaid work, and precarious working conditions.

Particular attention was given to the organising experiences of the Zasuk union in Slovenia and the SKUPA initiative in Croatia, as well as to the limitations of decades of policy advocacy and research which, despite extensively documenting precarity in the cultural sector, have often failed to produce structural change without organised collective power.

The lecture was followed by a rich and productive discussion involving researchers, representatives of cultural organisations, and a range of actors from the Croatian cultural and creative sector. The discussion focused in particular on labour conditions in culture, possibilities for collective organising, and the challenges cultural policies face in the context of increasing precarity in cultural work.

The lecture was organized in connection with the publication of the new book ‘Creative and Cultural Work in Europe’  edited by Bård Kleppe, Jaka Primorac, Miikka Pyykkönen and David Wright (published by Routledge).

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What happens when research seeks not only to analyze cultural production, but to intervene in its conditions of labor? This lecture examines the persistent invisibility of labor in the cultural sector through the lens of social reproduction analyses and participatory research conducted with freelance art workers in the post-Yugoslav context. It argues that artistic labor is systematically essentialized as “creativity”—an individualized expression of passion or talent—thereby obscuring the labor process, normalizing unpaid work, and enabling the extraction of value under precarious conditions.

Drawing on organizing experiences with art workers’ unions in Slovenia and Croatia, the lecture shows how this ideological framing is increasingly challenged through collective action that reasserts art work as labor. At the same time, it critically reflects on the limits of decades of policy advocacy and research, which have extensively documented precarity in the cultural sector yet failed to produce structural change.

The analysis suggests that the central obstacle is not a lack of knowledge, but a lack of organized power capable of transforming entrenched labor relations shaped by divergent class interests. In this context, participatory research emerges as a politically ambivalent practice: while it can contribute to building collective agency, it also risks being absorbed into institutional frameworks that reproduce the very conditions it seeks to critique.

The lecture ultimately poses a question to researchers and policy actors alike: are we positioned as expert colleagues producing knowledge about cultural workers, or as comrades engaged in struggles to transform the conditions of cultural labor? This tension calls for a reflexive rethinking of the role of research in relation to organizing, class formation, and the future of cultural production.

The lecture is organized in connection with the publication of the new book ‘Creative and Cultural Work in Europe’ edited by Bård Kleppe, Jaka Primorac, Miikka Pyykkönen and David Wright (published by Routledge), and it will be moderated by Dr Jaka Primorac from the Department for Culture and Communication, Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO).

The lecture will be held in English, and the discussion will be held in Croatian. You can sign up to attend the lecture by May 18 at kultura@irmo.hr.

The post Save the date: Culturelink Guest Lecture Series – Dr Katja Praznik: Comrades or Colleagues? The Class Challenges of Participatory Research and Policy Advocacy for Cultural Workers appeared first on Kultura.

The Oracle Cultural Network brings together an international community of experts in cultural management and cultural policy, connected through the Marcel Hicter Diploma programme. It serves as a platform for the exchange of knowledge and experience, as well as for professional collaboration.

The discussion programme took place on 24 April in the IRMO library and featured two thematic sessions. The first session, New Approaches to Cultural Cooperation, focused on emerging models and practices of international cultural collaboration. The second session, Strategies to Foster Cultural Democracy and International Cooperation in Times of Disruption, opened a discussion on the role of culture in strengthening democracy and international connections in the context of contemporary social and technological change.

As part of the programme, IRMO’s research activities in the field of cultural policy were also presented, with a focus on projects carried out by the Department for Culture and Communication, including CULTMED project. The activities of the Culturelink Centre were highlighted, particularly those aimed at the development of cultural policy, international cooperation, and the promotion of culture as a public good.

In addition to the programme held at IRMO, participants visited several cultural institutions in Zagreb, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Pogon – Zagreb Center for Independent Culture and Youth, the Museum of Broken Relationships, and MaMa / Multimedia Institute. These visits provided insights into different models of governance and practice in the cultural sector.

The meeting offered a valuable opportunity for exchange, networking, and strengthening professional ties, as well as for connecting the international Oracle Cultural Network community with the local cultural context.

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Interested parties can register by email: mandy.troeger@uni-tuebingen.de

More information about the book is available here: https://tinyurl.com/3urkhac9

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This ENCATC talk brings together international experts and researchers in the field of cultural and creative work to discuss key challenges and inequalities in the sector. It focuses on working conditions, precarity, social inequalities, and broader transformations of labour in contemporary cultural and creative industries, which are key themes of the upcoming ENCATC congress.

Discussion is organized in connection with the publication of the new book Creative and Cultural Work in Europe edited by Bård Kleppe, Jaka Primorac, Miikka Pyykkönen and David Wright and published by Routledge. The event will be opened by the Secretary General of ENCATC, GiannaLia Cogliandro Beyens, while the discussion with editors will be moderated by Matina Magkou, ENCATC Board Member.

This event is open to all, but registration is required. More information about the event is available at the link.

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The program “Applause Doesn’t Pay the Rent” is intended for the education of young artists and cultural workers, and offers knowledge about the relationship between art and work, the history of workers’ struggles, and organisations, unions and initiatives fighting for better working conditions. The program is organised through lectures, talks, presentations, and workshops and has been implemented on a biennial basis since 2021.

More information about the program is available on the BLOK website.

Photos: Luka Pešun for BLOK.

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