The lecture will provide an overview of the current state and development potential of cultural diplomacy in Montenegro, with particular emphasis on its relationship with public cultural policy, the European integration process, and international cultural cooperation. Starting from the historical development of cultural policy, it will examine how the legacy of the Yugoslav model of cultural governance—characterised by the strong role of public institutions and the state in financing and organising cultural life—continues to influence institutional structures, understandings of the role of culture, and relations between the public and independent cultural sectors. Particular attention will be paid to the changes that occurred during the processes of transition, state-building, and European integration.

Kraljević will approach cultural diplomacy as a space for the exchange of ideas, values, and cultural content aimed at developing social and cultural relations and international cultural cooperation. In this context, culture outside formal institutions is assuming an increasingly important role. This issue is particularly relevant in Montenegro due to the country’s size, limited institutional and financial capacities, and the need for greater international cultural visibility.

Cultural diplomacy will therefore not be viewed exclusively as a domain of state institutions, but rather as a space in which the broader cultural ecosystem participates. The lecture will pay particular attention to the relationship between public cultural policy and cultural practice, examining the disparity between the social potential of culture and the ways in which this potential is recognised, valued, and supported through public policies. Although independent cultural actors often have well-developed international networks and significant potential for cultural exchange, their role is not always accompanied by adequate institutional, financial, and strategic support mechanisms.

The lecture will therefore focus on how the historical legacy of cultural policy, the contemporary public policy framework, and relations between institutional and non-institutional culture shape the possibilities for developing Montenegro’s cultural diplomacy. It will also consider the extent to which Montenegro recognises and utilises its existing cultural potential in international communication and in strengthening its cultural visibility, as well as how a model might be developed in which the state, public institutions, and independent cultural actors operate as partners while preserving the autonomy, pluralism, and critical role of culture outside formal institutions.

The guest lecture is organised within the framework of cooperation between IRMO’s Department for Culture and Communication and the Institute for Science, Culture and Arts (ISCA) at Mediterranean University, formalised through a Cooperation Agreement signed in May 2026. Cooperation between the two institutions encompasses joint research projects, publications, and international conferences, as well as the development of new forms of research and professional cooperation in the field of cultural policy.

Participation is open to all interested participants. Registration is required by 14 October via email at kultura@irmo.hr.

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The new DEVELOPER project report is based on eighty-five interviews examining experiences, governance, and future socio-economic and technological expectations. The interviews were conducted with a diverse range of social actors involved in the socio-technical aspects of digital infrastructure and the provision of digital services in public and private sector.

The analysis of the interviews provides an in-depth insight into how data centres, digital systems, and infrastructures have been developed and used in Croatia. The findings show that behind technical systems lie complex social relations between the state, markets, labour, regulation, and users – from the centralisation of public digital systems and the challenges it entails, to the growing energy demands of data centres and the transformations driven by artificial intelligence. The report approaches digital infrastructure as a social process in which technological possibilities, power relations, and socio-economic effects are shaped simultaneously.

The report is in open access, together with its dataset.

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In Montréal, the program included a visit to Centre Sanaaq, a new cultural and community centre that brings together library, cultural, and community facilities. It was developed in collaboration with the local community and Inuit partners. The researchers also visited the Maison de la culture Côte-des-Neiges and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, which are part of the city’s network of cultural centres aimed at decentralizing cultural life and making cultural programs accessible across different neighbourhoods. They met with Amandine Gauthier, Director of Local and International Partnerships at the Conseil des arts de Montréal, to discuss public funding models for the arts, support for artists and cultural organizations, and issues of equity, representation, and international cooperation. The Montréal program concluded with a meeting with Emmanuelle Hébert and Anne Bernard from Culture Montréal, an independent organization that contributes to shaping the city’s cultural development through research, advocacy, and collaboration among diverse stakeholders.

In Toronto, the program began with a visit to 401 Richmond, a former industrial building transformed into a cultural and creative hub that now brings together nearly 150 artists, cultural organizations, galleries, festivals, and other cultural and creative actors. A meeting was also held with representatives of Diamond Schmitt Architects, focusing on contemporary approaches to planning and developing cultural infrastructure, including their work on the Humber Cultural Hub project. An important part of the Toronto program consisted of meetings with representatives of the Toronto Arts Council and the City of Toronto’s Economic Development & Culture Division, which provided an opportunity to discuss models of arts funding, relations between municipal government and the cultural sector, local cultural development, and approaches to equity and accessibility in cultural policy. The study visit concluded with a meeting with representatives of the Cultural Policy Hub at OCAD University, a national platform that connects research, cultural policy development, data analysis, and knowledge exchange across the academic, public, nonprofit, and private sectors.

The study visit focused on exploring models for the development and governance of cultural infrastructure, cultural funding, and cultural development at the municipal level, as well as approaches to decentralization, participation, accessibility, and the inclusion of diverse communities in cultural life. Particular attention was given to relations among the public, civil society, academic, and private sectors; the transformation and adaptive reuse of spaces for cultural purposes; and the role of research and knowledge exchange in cultural policy development. The knowledge gained and contacts established during the visit provide a valuable foundation for further developing IRMO’s international cooperation and for future comparative research on cultural policy, models of cultural governance and funding, and the development of cultural infrastructure.

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At the conference, they presented the co-authored research paper by Dr Dea Vidović, Dr Ana Žuvela and Dr Aleksandra Uzelac, “Reimagining Cultural Leadership: Feminist Leadership in a Croatian Public Heritage Institution.” The paper explores feminist leadership as an interpretive framework for understanding organisational practices and power relations in public cultural institutions. The analysis examines the extent to which practices grounded in trust, autonomy, collaboration, care and shared responsibility can be understood through the lens of feminist leadership, as well as the relationship between these everyday organisational practices and their explicit political articulation.

Aleksandra Uzelac chaired the panel “Comparative Cultural Policy Research and Teaching in a Multilingual World: Perspectives from ENCATC,” which focused on the challenges of comparative cultural policy research and teaching across multilingual and diverse social contexts. The panel featured Matina Magkou of Université Côte d’Azur, Herman Bashiron Mendolicchio of the University of Barcelona, and Marcin Poprawski of Humak University of Applied Sciences. The discussion addressed the translation and circulation of cultural policy concepts, epistemic inequalities between dominant and less-represented linguistic contexts, and methodological and pedagogical approaches to multilingual cultural policy research.

Dea Vidović chaired the panel session “Concepts, Evidence and Participation,” which focused on the relationships among theoretical concepts, research evidence, cultural policy and participation. The panel featured research presentations by Toine Minnaert of Utrecht University, Mia Nakamura of Kyushu University, Scott Brook of RMIT University and Tilde Jessen of the University of Copenhagen.

Participation in the ICCPR provided an opportunity to present IRMO’s current research in an international academic setting, gain insights into the latest research approaches and debates in cultural policy, and exchange knowledge and experiences with colleagues from different countries. The conference also offered opportunities to strengthen existing and establish new international contacts and collaborations, and to further connect IRMO with the international cultural policy research community.

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Our researcher, research associate at IRMO and PhD candidate in the Doctoral Programme in Sociology in Zagreb, Nikolina Rajković, participated in the 30th Summer School in Social Sciences Methods in Lugano, Switzerland, from 10 to 21 August 2026. She attended this international programme, which brings together PhD candidates and researchers from various fields of the social sciences.

Such programmes are particularly valuable for PhD candidates, as they provide opportunities to improve research design, select and apply appropriate methodological approaches, and enhance the analysis and interpretation of empirical data. At the same time, the international academic environment offers an opportunity to engage with different research traditions, receive feedback, and connect with researchers working on related topics.

Participation in the Summer School represents a valuable contribution to the further development of doctoral research and to strengthening the methodological competences essential for a future career in academia and research.

It was realized through funding allocated for the international professional development of doctoral candidates under the DEVELOPER project (Digital Data, Infrastructures, and Development), supported by the Croatian Science Foundation.

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Researchers from the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO), Dr Paško Bilić and research assistant Nikolina Rajković attended the 17th Conference of the European Sociological Association (ESA), entitled Strengthening Democracies: Social Action, Solidarity, and Sustainable Futures in Warsaw, Poland (25 to 28 August 2026). The conference brought together approximately 3,500 social scientists, academics, researchers, and experts from around the world. Held every two years, the ESA Conference is the second-largest international forum for sociologists and social scientists, providing an important platform for presenting ongoing research and engaging in critical discussions on contemporary social challenges

Dr Paško Bilić and Nikolina Rajković presented the findings of research conducted during the second and third years of the DEVELOPER research project – Digital Data, Infrastructures and Development, supported by the Croatian Science Foundation.

The findings were presented in two research papers: Data Centres and Anticipated Futures at the EU Core and Periphery (Paško Bilić and Nikolina Rajković) and Enacting the Infrastructural Power of the State: Public Production Between Digital Sovereignty and the Geopolitics of Profit, co-authored with Dr Toni Prug from the University of Rijeka, who is also a collaborator on the DEVELOPER project. The project is conducted within the Centre for the Sociology of Media and Digital Society (CEMEDIG) at the Department of Culture and Communication of the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO).

Based on 80 interviews conducted in Croatia, the papers examined how different actors involved in the infrastructural practices of data centres across the private and public sectors perceive their activities and broader social significance, as well as the production and distribution of digital goods and services. The papers also addressed pressing questions concerning the future of further investment in data centres, examining these developments in the context of sustainability, digital dependency, and digital sovereignty.

Another paper was also presented at the conference, co-authored by Dr Paško Bilić and Maja Hoić, IRMO librarian, entitled Political-economic Values and Support for Open Science within the Croatian Scientific Community (Nikola Petrović, Paško Bilić, Maja Hoić).

We are also pleased and proud to announce that the Steering Committee of Research Network 18: Sociology of Media and Communication Research of the European Sociological Association (ESA) has once again elected Dr Paško Bilić as its Coordinator for a new two-year term.

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The programme included a meeting with the Deputy Municipal Secretary for Culture and Creative Economy of the City of São Paulo, Rodrigo Massi, as well as with other representatives of the São Paulo Municipal Secretariat of Culture and Creative Economy. The programme also included a meeting with members of the Fundação Itaú / Itaú Cultural team, one of Brazil’s leading institutional models integrating corporate philanthropy, culture, and education. An important part of the programme was a visit to SESC Pompeia, a cultural and social centre, where the researchers met with the centre’s professional team. SESC Pompeia is part of the SESC São Paulo network, one of Brazil’s most significant models of privately funded cultural and social infrastructure. During their stay, the researchers also held a working meeting with Brazilian sociologist, cultural policy expert, and recipient of the 2024 ENCATC Research Award, Dr João Leiva, followed by a visit to the Instituto Moreira Salles (IMS).

The study visit focused on exploring different models of cultural governance, cultural funding, the development of cultural infrastructure, participatory approaches to culture, and the relationships between the public, private, and civil sectors in the field of cultural policy. Particular attention was given to examples of transforming industrial heritage into cultural spaces, the democratisation of access to culture, international cultural cooperation, and innovative approaches linking culture, education, and social development.

The knowledge gained and the professional contacts established during the visit provide a valuable foundation for strengthening the Institute’s international cooperation and for future comparative research on cultural policy, cultural infrastructure, and cultural governance.

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