Institute for Cultural Policy

Our Institute

The Institute for Cultural Policy examines goals, tasks, conditions and perspectives of cultural policy and how these are implemented through cultural management and cultural mediation.

What is cultural policy?

We understand cultural policy as political-cultural action by state actors, civil society initiatives, non-profit and private-sector participants who jointly shape the cultural landscape.

From municipal and - especially since the establishment of the UNESCO Chair - to international contexts, we aim at practice-oriented work. At the same time, our research fields are integral areas of teaching in the Faculty of Cultural Studies and Aesthetic Communication's degree programmes.

Our motivation

The social relevance of our work is important to us. That is why we carry out research projects in close connection with cultural and artistic practice and strive for transfer between academic research and practical fields. We cooperate with a broad spectrum of governmental and non-profit institutions - from the State Minister for Culture and Media to the German Federation for Arts Education and Cultural Learning and the Federal Association of Socioculture to the Federal Foreign Office and the Goethe Institutes as well as diverse actors of civil society worldwide.

This publication, which was jointly produced by all members of the institute and is intended for both reading and discussion, provides an insight into our understanding of selected key terms. Above all, it provides introductory considerations on the fields of action covered by our degree programs. Research questions can also be derived from this. In mutual interviews, we provide insights into what is personally important to us as teachers and researchers at our institute.