We are proud to have contributed to this collection of essays on cultural policy in rural areas, by our partners at the University of Hildesheim, with whom we organised our 2017 European Conference on rural development. Edited by Wolfgang Schneider and Beate Kegler, from the Department of Cultural Policy at the University of Hildesheim, and Daniela Koß from the Foundation of the German state of Lower Saxony.
Contributions include essays on rural areas as neglected remnants vs. regions with potential; digitalisation; demographic change; decentralisation; the relationship between agriculture and culture; testimonies on ECOC projects and their involvement with the surrounding regions; Latvian, Cypriot and Dutch perspectives on the topic; and more. With a foreword by Ivo Peeters, president of the ENCC board, and contributions by our very own Ioana Crugel and Piotr Michalowski.
From the back cover:
Due to global processes of transformation and the social challenges posed by demographic change, rural areas increasingly demand attention from politics and the public sphere. [...] The arts have proven their ability to provide fresh impetus and new insights.
This compendium of theory and practice combines outcomes of studies in cultural policy, introduces exemplary models and thus constitutes a first attempt at determining the position of innovative cultural work in rural areas. All essays both in English and German.