Open Lecture: "Rethinking the Role of Culture and Arts in EU Foreign Policy"
Dr. Claske Vos (Amsterdam University)
 

Date: 23 October 2024, Wednesday

Time: 14:00 – 16:00

Hosted by: Dr. Özge Onursal-Beşgül & Prof. Ayhan Kaya

 

Overview:

The European Union (EU) has been integrating culture into its foreign policy as a means to align its values with its external actions. By focusing on culture, the EU aims to address global challenges and create a foundation of 'immaterial' antibodies that support its internal and external commitment to these values. However, despite these cultural investments, challenges arise, especially in non-EU contexts.

One significant challenge, often referred to as dissonant entanglements, stems from the power imbalances between the EU as a donor and its recipients in various regions. This reveals deep-seated issues of post-colonial power dynamics, where norms, values, and techniques are imposed on different national and regional settings. These dissonant entanglements serve as the core theme of this open lecture by Dr. Claske Vos.

 

Key Focus Areas:

• How culture and arts are shaping EU foreign policy.
• The contestations arising from the EU’s cultural programmes in international relations.
• The role of civil society organisations and grassroots cultural practitioners in challenging and addressing these dissonant entanglements.
• How culture serves as a powerful tool for self-expression, communication, and innovation in foreign policy.

The lecture will also highlight the importance of culture and arts as part of the EU's 'soft power' approach, exploring how international relationships can be balanced through cultural diplomacy. By doing so, the EU seeks to bridge the interests of diverse actors across different policymaking levels.

 

Join Us

We invite you to an engaging open lecture that will explore the vital role of culture and arts in shaping the EU’s external actions and the opportunities and challenges these efforts face in today’s complex global landscape.

The event is scheduled for Wednesday, October 23, 2024, from 14:00 to 16:00. It will be held both in-person and online. For those planning to attend in person, the lecture will take place in the Energy Museum Seminar Room at the santralistanbul Campus of Istanbul Bilgi University.

Please note that in-person participants must register here, and you can enter the campus using the visitor entrance.

For those who wish to join online, the lecture will be streamed at https://www.youtube.com/@ValEUsProject.

 

This open lecture will be held as part of the ValEUs Project.

For more information about the project, please visit the project’s website: https://valeus.eu/.