Transcript 7n0vz-87f55626f091372189727b2e22c94f1c

A culture broker
• A cultural broker needs to be a valuable conduit for
translation and representation of cultural groups and
communities, and larger society.
• This does not mean that just representing some
‘exotic’ folk from the other side of the world to
mainstream audiences in the west is what this about.
– Dr. R Kurin: 2004 Melbourne
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A culture conduit
 Culture brokers guide clients/audiences through a transaction
from one status to another it requires
- Active and respectful engagement
- Knowledge and Research
 UNSESCO conventions on the protection of Diversity of Cultural
Expressions & Intangible Cultural Heritage
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Resentment to Brokering
Some scholars and curators resent the
term ‘brokering’, thinking that it suggests
something untoward, like taking money or
implying scholarship-debasing through
commerce, or trade. But professionals do
take money for what they do, professors
and curators…included. (R.KURIN 1997)
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Making Money is not Dirty!
• BUT professionals do take money for
what they do, professors and
curators included.
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Management and Manipulation
• ‘Cultural brokerage – entails management and
the symbolic manipulation of audience, ranging
from issuing press releases and articulately
framing program purposes in radio …show
interviews to courting specialised audiences, to
meeting the needs of average visitors, viewers,
or readers.’ (Kurin:1997)
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The Multidimensional Deal
• The cultural deal is multidimensional
– diverse systems of values & meanings
– not a shared unit of exchange
• The cultural deal is
– sequential, progressive & goal-oriented tasks,
may have to reiterate steps as situations
change during the course of a project.
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Cultural Brokerage is Multifaceted
– They do not barter down the
differences along a unidimensional
standard
– Not to be the ‘tired old bridge’ over
which cultural performers ride
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Coordination
Cultural Brokers coordinate horizontally in
webs of relationships, rather than
vertically and hierarchically through
chains of command.
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Informal Learning
• Cultural Brokerage requires:
– Informal learning with the represented
– Humility to listen the people, audiences and
exemplars of the culture to be presented
– The knowledge of when people do not want
to see themselves, their history and their
culture represented.
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Models of Representation
•
•
•
Extractive Model: 19thC –collect, take, from cultures of others- studies
them – displays them.
Flea Market Model: Anyone who qualifies –gets stage, room, lectern,
gallery, or homepage onto which he/she can put out the stuff of the
culture.
Representation is about showing up - romantic nonsense to
sophisticated propaganda
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Politics of Representation
• Necessitates:
– Consideration of
Meanings held by
participants & the public
– The power of the people
involved
– Fiscal resources
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Smithsonian Festival
• The Smithsonian Festival
The Will to Adorn
presents cultural diversity
African American Diversity, Style, and
not only in terms of
Identity
ethnicity, but in occupation,
region, faith, foodtraditions, music and other
arts practice. The culture
brokers’ role is to present
the panoply of diversity in a
way that communicates
meanings to the
uninitiated. – Dr. R Kurin: 1997
Melbourne
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Impact-Silk Road 2002
Communicating
understandings
about cultural
subjects to
public - political
& economic
consequences
The Silk Road: Connecting
Cultures, Creating Trust
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Culture as Meaning
• Three general but
overlapping
meanings:
– Entertainment
– Scholarship
– Politics
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Culture as Entertainment
• Entertainment - high art to
Hollywood, FB, shopping,
iPhones, and pizza.
• Culture is art in a gallery, a
designer dress, a holiday, a
lifestyle commodity.
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Culture as Scholarship
Culture as ideas, socially
embedded praxes,
philosophies, historically
situated values, ways of
life and orientations.
• You do not buy this
culture – you study it
using anthropology,
history, philosophy,
sociology, etc… (Kurin)
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Culture as Politics
Identities, communities,
nations, institutions,
groups, professions,
electorates, ethnic
groups, corporations,
occupations, regions,
neighbourhoods,
organisations, families
and clubs…
each may have its own
culture
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Culture as Economics
Culture- second
largest industry in
the world after oil
Tourism, Festivals,
Shopping,
Museums, Night
Zoos
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Global and Local
• Global homogenization –we
dress the same, share ideals
on wealth, health and
happiness through increased
leisure.
• Shared value and identity –
common humanity, a world
community, a global village –
although the bases of such
may vary.
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Heterogeneity Homogeneity
‘Two people, one in Tel Aviv,
the other in Delhi, can
pray in Hebrew and
Sanskrit, respectively, to
very different versions of
God and then log onto the
net to have a
conversation in English
about advanced nuclear
physics…’ Kurin
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Contemporary Life
• Homogenous &
heterogenous
• Local & global
• Traditional & mass
• Elites & popular
• New, larger cultural
confederations.
• (positive/negative)
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Global Village?
Sameness doesn’t
guarantee peace or
contented community
– Boston Bombers had
FB, Twitter, were
‘typical’ youth
– Politicians, Artists,
Activists, Terrorists use
social media
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