International workshop Culture in authoritarian transformations: Policies, Institutions and Strategies of Resistance

Across Europe, illiberal, authoritarian and right-wing movements are increasingly shaping the direction of cultural policy and redefining the framework in which cultural actors operate. In several countries, democratically elected governments are using their formal legitimacy to undermine the foundations of cultural life in an open society. Through legislative reforms, political appointments or shifts in funding priorities, they are undermining media pluralism, curtailing institutional autonomy and restricting the space for critical discourse. In other contexts, it is right-wing grassroots movements or opposition parties that are - with growing success - shaping public debate and thus limiting the conditions under which cultural expression and engagement can take place. In both cases, cultural infrastructures - museums, theatres, festivals, initiatives and more - have become important arenas in broader struggles for power, democracy and cultural hegemony.

From 6 to 8 October, the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg will host an international workshop entitled "Culture in Authoritarian Transformations: Politics, Institutions and Strategies of Resistance" will take place. Thirty cultural professionals, artists and academics from the fields of art, museums, cultural institutions, citizens' initiatives, foundations and academia have been invited to reflect together on developments and the role of culture in the face of illiberal and authoritarian dynamics. Based on specific case studies from Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Serbia, Italy and Germany, the following questions will be analysed: - Why do authoritarian and illiberal governments and movements attach such great importance to cultural policy and the cultural sector? - How do these developments change the room for manoeuvre of cultural workers and cultural institutions? - What coping strategies and practices of resistance have emerged - and which have proven effective - to keep spaces for critical debate and cultural production open?

The programme includes panel discussions, peer exchange and joint reflection as well as visits to local initiatives. It also aims to initiate a transnational network of mutual support and critical engagement among cultural actors facing increasing authoritarian pressures. The event is jointly organised by the Chair of Cultural Management at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg and the Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe project group of the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb).