Culture Resource presents the “Foundations of Cultural Policies” series as part of its Cultural Policies program, which was launched in 2009 in response to the growing interest in cultural policies among cultural actors and researchers. After over 10 years of organizing activities to support and develop projects, publications, studies, cultural policies compendiums and expanding the network of experts and cultural actors involved in this field, there is still need for more work to develop cultural policy forms and instruments in light of the significant changes sweeping the Arab region. 

Culture Resource produced the “Foundations of Cultural Policies” with the foregoing in mind. The series consists of short videos featuring interviews with cultural actors, experts, and researchers in the field. The aim is to introduce cultural policies – their concepts, origins, schools of thought and models – to a broad audience of cultural actors and researchers interested in developing their knowledge on the subject. The series introduces the theoretical foundations and practical applications of cultural policies, highlighting the realities in the Arab region and the different valuable experiences in this domain in the Arab region in recent years. In addition to serving as a source of information and expertise, the videos will hopefully trigger discussion and reflection on cultural policies and their timelines. 

The series is divided into 9 episodes that will be published successively on Culture Resource’s online platforms. The episodes’ content was produced by Marwa Helmy, a cultural actor, cultural policies expert, and member of the Culture Resource Artistic Board. Each episode will include links to the studies and research works referenced in the video so that they can be readily consulted for the purpose of cultural policy projects or research activities. Each episode will also conclude a detailed summary of the topics covered.

Follow the series on our Youtube, Instagram, and Facebook pages.

*Photo from the Cultural Policies workshop in Tunisia, 2020.