Program funding
CULTMED - Interdisciplinary Research on Cultural and Media Policies and Practices: Developmental and Democratic Potentials (2023-2027)
The CULTMED project focuses on research related to the development of culture and cultural policy, media, and media policy in Croatia and defines the local, regional, national, European, and global environment of Croatian culture and media. This includes the analysis of cultural and media policies and strategies in Croatia and the EU; cultural and creative industries; cultural heritage as a development resource; and the economy of culture and decision-making processes that determine the direction of the overall cultural development. Special attention is paid to the origins and causes of changes in cultural and media policy, including changes related to the concepts, orientations, and paradigms of cultural and media policy that interact with other public policies and have a transversal impact on them. The focus is placed on the democratization of cultural policy with a focus on accessibility, sustainability, and pluralism in the management of the cultural sector, public resources in culture, and the creation of new forms of management of organizations and institutions. Political, economic, and social changes in the media are investigated, especially in the areas of digital infrastructures, new business models and public services, and citizens’ digital skills. By analyzing the cultural, media and communication environment in the international, European, and national context and by defining the socio-technological foundations and institutional frameworks of cultural and media policy, the project aims to contribute to strengthening the democratic principles of responsibility, representation, and participation in the Republic of Croatia and to provide scientific bases for the informed creation of cultural and media policies. The project has established two research centres through which project activities are carried out: CULTURELINK and CEMEDIG.
CULTDEV - Cultural, Communication and Media Aspects of Contemporary Social Processes: Towards Sustainable Cultural Development (2019-2023)
The CULTDEV project focuses on research related to cultural development in Croatia and defines the local, regional, national, European, and global environment of Croatian culture. This includes the analysis of public cultural and media policies and strategies in Croatia and the European Union; analysis of cultural and creative industries; analysis of cultural heritage as a development resource; and the economy of culture and media, which conditions the direction of overall cultural development. The goal of the project is to create a systematic scientific insight into the processes of the inclusion of Croatian culture in the European cultural space and the global processes of cultural and communication development. The focus is on the research of cultural and media policy, its cycles, processes, changes, and development tendencies, as well as contemporary cultural practices. The research looks into how cultural practices are shaped when exposed to international political, economic, and technological processes. Culture and communication are seen as key elements of social development and as basic social processes.
Promotion of Cultural Identities and the EU Integration Process of the Republic of Croatia (2007-2012)
The program ‘Promotion of Cultural Identities and the Process of Integrating the Republic of Croatia into the EU’ builds upon the hypotheses that in the transitional and post-transitional period, Croatian culture and cultural identities are rapidly reconstructed with a strong tendency to integrate into the European cultural space. The process of reconstruction and integration of cultural identities is analyzed from different perspectives: from internal dynamic disintegrations and recreating representative symbolic values, to the acceptance of cultural diversity as a basis for cultural affirmation, development, and integration. Based on these hypotheses, the line of research includes inquiry into historical perspective, the emergence and (transitional) deconstruction of Croatian cultural identity, recognition of the identity of others, and integration into the European cultural space
Within the scope of this scientific program, two long-term projects were financed by the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education, and Sports and conducted by the Department for Culture and Communication:
- Global Influences and Local Cultural Changes (Project coordinator: Nada Švob-Đokić, PhD)
- Cultural Diversity, Intercultural Communication and Digital Culture (Project coordinator: Biserka Cvjetičanin, PhD, 1.1.2007. – 30.12.2009.; Daniela Angelina Jelinčić, PhD, 31.12.2009. – 1.1.2012.)
Additional two projects within the scope of this program were conducted at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb:
- (Post)transitional Discourse: Representation, Simulation, and Identification, (Project coordinator: Marina Biti, PhD, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka)
- Nation and Representation (Project coordinator: Vladimir Biti, PhD, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka)
Cultural Diversity, Intercultural Communication and Digital Culture (2007-2012)
Recognizing diversity among cultures as an integral part of identity and the element that activates intercultural connections and cooperation is a phenomenon of our time. New approaches to cultural diversity have been developing, which promote specific cultural expressions, goods, and services as bases for intercultural communication, which is marked by the application of ICTs to stimulate the creation of new forms of culture, such as digital culture. The basic premises are that cultural diversity, intercultural communication, and the intensive development of digital culture represent development resources for knowledge societies. This hypothesis is scientifically verified by researching the different characteristics of their interrelation. Monitoring and defining the development, use, and impact of digital culture in the context of cultural diversity and intercultural communication gave new insight into their interdependence. Results included the systematisation and presentation of knowledge on new approaches to cultural diversity, intercultural communication, and the role of digital culture as well as the identification of basic elements of their interaction and ways in which they are realized in different aspects. Research focuses on the dynamics of changes in Croatian culture and the impact of digital culture on changes in traditional cultural sectors, as well as the result in international cultural cooperation and exchange. Results are evaluated by way of international conferences in Croatia and abroad, as well as through the Culturelink Network (based at IRMO), which stimulated research on cultural diversity and intercultural communication in the world. UNESCO’s Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expression and the Council of Europe’s efforts also served as a way of evaluating the research results. The results were published and disseminated through the Culturelink Network. This research will contribute to the integration processes of Croatia into the European cultural, scientific and educational flows, as well as to defining the position of Croatia in international communication. It tried to answer the question of whether digital culture in Croatia offers a new perspective of cultural development and international cultural communication, as well as how much the interdependence of cultural diversity, intercultural communication and digital culture contributes to the new notions of Croatian cultural policy and cultural strategy.
Global Influences and the Local Cultural Changes (2007-2012)
The hypothesis of the research project Global Influences and the Local Cultural Changes was that Croatian culture evolved towards contexts of the new European cultures by acquiring the post-transitional characteristics, which include: ever larger openness to global communication processes; increased role of new technologies and media; development of creative industries; a flexible and more individualized choice of cultural values; acceptance of cultural pluralism and multiculturalism, etc. The hypothesis covered new cultural identification, rejection of residual cultural values, and an effort to rationalize such rejection and evaluate the process of value changes indicating that Croatian culture was searching for a new space of cultural development that coincides and communicates with the global cultural trends, which was particularly visible in cultural consumption, cultural values and practices, but also in cultural production for global markets. The research aims of this project included creating the definition of a cultural space that coincides and communicates with global and European trends; the affirmation of cultural identities as a key frame of reference for cultural integration, and a discussion of cultural integration as an unavoidable process which may provide for a future (desirable) cultural development. Research results included the presentation of knowledge on key elements of the European cultural space, on the character of cultural integration processes and conditions that determine the position of national and local cultures; on dynamics of cultural change it encourages, and on cultural policies and strategies which give meaning to the overall social impact of culture, to particular cultural activities and cultural development. The results were presented in published studies and books, as well as in the form of cultural policies and strategies on local and state levels.
Creative and knowledge industries in transition countries (2002-2006)
The project focused on the analysis of creative activities in transition, i.e. post-socialist countries, and especially in Croatia. Creative activities are multidimensional and cover the areas of scientific and technological development as well as artistic and cultural creativity, and in post-socialist countries, the transitional context is an important determinant of their development and transformation. Creative activities and creative industries mark the further development and modernization of post-socialist societies. Research work on this project proceeded in three basic directions: research into scientific development and scientific policies; collection, systematization and analysis of data on creative industries in the context of transitional changes and global influences, and analysis of cultural and creative policies.
Research work on this project resulted in the publication of 3 books, 17 chapters in books, 12 papers in magazines, 23 invited lectures at international meetings, 3 papers in conference proceedings with international reviews, 6 abstracts, 1 master’s thesis, and 10 other papers.
As part of the project, a scientific study entitled ‘Research and Development Policies in the Southeast European Countries in Transition – Republic of Croatia’ was published in 2002 (published by the Institute of International Relations), the preparation and publication of which was approved by the Unesco Venice office.
The project was supported by UNESCO and the European Cultural Foundation, the East/East Program of the Open Society Institute, the British Council, and the French Institute from Zagreb.