WIKA 2018
Models of future cultural relations

Realities, challenges, visions

In 2018, the Scientific Initiatives Circle Culture and Foreign Policy (WIKA, Wissenschaftlicher Intitiativkreis Kultur und Außenpolitik) formed a Forum with international participants. Scientists and practicing experts’ in cultural relations and educations policies (Auswärtigen Kultur- und Bildungspolitik - AKBP) from Georgia, Spain, Germany, Turkey, Scotland and Greece brought together the vision of a post-national culture policy and neo-nationalism, and formulate concrete examples of future cultural relations while considering those challenges.

Following the opening dialogue between Ronald Grätz and Prof. Dr. Caroline Y. Robertson-von Trotha, Dr. Zaal Andronikashvili presented various development rates of Europe from an eastern perspective. The second part of the workshop was dedicated to the current success of neo-nationalism in Europe. Prof. Dr. Antonia María Ruiz Jiménez discussed the connections between economic development and national identity of citizens, taking for example Spain. Dr. sc. pol. Kai-Olaf Lang took into consideration the sovereignty of Central Eastern European States within the EU and their tradition-conscious domestic politics. To understand the roots of populist, ethno-nationalist, and authoritarian right-wing politics, Dr. Zafer Yilmaz studied the overall structure of modern societies. In the third part of the event, Prof. Dr. Antonella Sorace lectured on the importance of multilingualism for the success of intercultural relations. Stefanos Vallianatos presented how the increasingly multiculturalism in urban space succeeds. Dr. Jens Adam critically examined German culture and foreign policy as conflict prevention and unleashed a vivid final discussion.

The workshop was led by the chairman of the WIKA, Prof. dr. Caroline Y. Robertson-von Trotha in collaboration with the Institute for Foreign Relations (ifa) and the ZAK | Center for Applied Cultural Studies and Studium Generale in Stuttgart.

© Kai Loges

WIKA-Workshop 2018
Models of future cultural relations, Realities, challenges, visions

Friday, 23/11/2018, 9.00 a.m. – 4.30 p.m.
WeltRaum of the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa) in Stuttgart

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The Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa) and the ZAK | Zentrum für Angewandte Kulturwissenschaft und Studium Generale am KIT organize a workshop on "Models of Future Cultural Relations" on November 23, 2018 within the framework of the Scientific Initiatives Circle Culture and Foreign Policy (WIKA, Wissenschaftlicher Intitiativkreis Kultur und Außenpolitik). The workshop takes place in the WeltRaum of the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa) in Stuttgart.

© Kai Loges

Through processes that we generally characterise as the dynamics of globalisation and glocalisation, societies are simultaneously confronted with very different developments. International mobility and connectivity on the one hand appear to have greatly increased, yet at the same time associated disintegration processes inside and between societies can be observed. 
The current success of neo-nationalism and increasing uncertainty in societies generally are possible consequences and represent major challenges to international relations.
Cultural relations thus take place under conditions of cultural heterogeneity and simultaneous circumstances of mono-cultural orientation. The constant interactions between the global and the local influence cultural development, identities and their representations. Changed realities, political and social upheavals, global power shifts therefore require perspective visions and an adaptation of international cultural relations.
The development of a new policy of cultural relations as it is advanced by the Foreign Office is therefore necessary for both Germany and Europe in order to be able to help shape the norm-and value-based global order of the 21st century.
The WIKA workshop seeks to contribute by directly relating the vision of a post-nation-state cultural policy to current uprising neo-nationalisms in Europe and secondly by discussing concrete models of future cultural relations taking these challenges into account.

Further information on the WIKA workshop can be found on the ifa website
Workshop Programme

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