17-11-2009 Dias 1
Department of Media, Cognition and Communication
Structures and dynamics of everyday life Mediated reality Reality experiences
17-11-2009 Dias 2
Department of Media, Cognition and Communication
Dimensions of culture
• Institutional structures: cultural policy organisations, professional cultural organisations, museums, archives, film companies, media production companies, culture economy etc.
• Symbolic communication: art, literature, music, films, TV-programs, advertisement, journalism, religion, sport etc.
• Everyday culture and life: life forms and structures of everyday life, (Williams: “Culture as a whole way of life”), social groups and classes, what people thing and feel, how they use culture in their life
17-11-2009 Dias 3
Department of Media, Cognition and Communication
Cultural identity – social imaginairies •
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“An identity is not a thing; it is a short-hand description for ways of talking about the self and community (…) Ways of talking or ideological discourses, do not develop in social vacuums, but they are related to forms of life. In this respect, ’identity,’ if it is to be understood as a form of talking, is also to be understood as a form of life. The saluted and unsaluted flags are not stimuli that evoke ’identity-reactions’; they belong to the forms of life which constitute what could be called national identities. ” (Billig: Banal Nationalism 1995: 60) “By social imaginary, I mean something much broader and deeper than the intellectual schemes people may entertain when they think about social reality in a disengaged mode. I am thinking, rather, of the ways people imagine their social existence, how they fit together with others, how things go on between them and their fellows, the expectations that are normally met, and the deeper normative notions and images that underlie these expectations” (Charles Taylor: Modern Social Imaginairies, 2004: 23)
17-11-2009 Dias 4
Institut for Medier, Erkendelse og Formidling
Cognitive sociology Zerubavel: Social Mindscapes (1999)
Cognitive individualism
Cognitive sociology
Cognitive universalism
Thinking as individuals
Thinking as members of thought communities
Thinking as human beings
Subjectivity Personal experience
Intersubjectivity Conventional cognitive traditions
Objectivity Natural or logical inevitability
Personal cognitive Cultural, historical Universal ideosyncrasies and subcultural cognitive cognitive commonalities differences 17-11-2009 Dias 5
European identity - European culture • Identity formation is processual, social and partly constructed: Zerubavel (Social Cognition): social cognitive structures vs. universal cognitive structures • Identities are strongly supported by a narrative dimension • Identity formation is a symbolic demarcation towards other, identity is both something individual and something collective and these are often not the same • A collective identity is not necessarily homogenous, it can be a composite, hybrid identity • European thinking on European identity and culture has moved from an abstract unity definition (Copenhagen declaration, 1973) to a ”unity in diversity” concept, Maastricht Treaty, 1992: ”The community shall contribute the flowering of the cultures of member states, while respecting their national and regional diversity and at the same time bringing the common cultural heritage to the fore” 17-11-2009 Dias 6
EU’s cultural and political dilemma • The European-dilemma between universalism and Europeanism: Delanty & Rumford: Rethinking Europe (2005): ”The EU is now caught in the contradictory situation of having to define a common universal culture that is universal - but not so universal that it is global and thus not distinctively European - and at the same time does not negate national and regional cultures” • The unity in diversity doctrine. Delanty & Rumford: Rethinking Europe (2005): ”The idea of unity in diversity has become an influential way of thinking about European cultural identity today, especially in the context of the enlargement of the European union. It is an alternative to the two dominant positions, the strongly Euro-federalist notion of the essential unity of Europe and the liberal influenced argument of a higher moral universalism overriding the inconsequential cultural diversity of Europe”
17-11-2009 Dias 7
Department of Media, Cognition and Communication
European culture as a network of overlapping cultures and subcultures? • Habermas(1996): a European communicative space and culture a ”complex network that branches out into a multitude of overlapping international, national, regional, local and subcultural arenas; ”hermeneutic bridge building”, cosmopolitan culture in the form of open ended interactions between different levels and networks of culture and communication
• Ulrick Beck (2006) & Anthony Giddens (2007): globalisation as challenge to nation states; EU potential framework for interaction between regional, national and global cultural dimensions and exchanges – the concept of network state and network culture
• Globalisation and multicultural development of national cultures and media cultures? Globallocal-national exchange always important; modern technologies of communications increasingly influence cultural identity building 17-11-2009 Dias 8
Department of Media, Cognition and Communication
The basis of national and European identities • •
Anthony D. Smith: National identity and the idea of European unity (1992) ”The concept of national identity is both complex and highly abstract (..) the multiplicity of cultural identities (is mirrored in the multiple dimensions of our conception of nationhood (..) • • • • •
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Territorial boundedness of separate cultural populations in their own ’homelands’ Shared nature of myths of origin and historical memoires of the community Common bond of a mass, standardized culture Common territorial divsion of labour, with mobility for all members and ownership of resources by all members in the homeland Possession by all members of a unified system of common legal rights and duties under common laws and institutions
”In this respect, national identification possess distinct advantages over the idea of a unified European Identity. They are vivid, accessible, well established, long popularized, and still widely believed, in broad outline at least. In each of these respects, ’Europe’ is deficient both as idea and process.”
17-11-2009 Dias 9
Department of Media, Cognition and Communication
The power of narratives: the national and the universal dimensions of culture •
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“Stories and images are among the principal means by which the human society has always transmitted values and beliefs from generation to generation and community to community. Movies, along with all the other activities driven by stories and the images and characters that flow with them, are now at the very heart of the way we run our economies and live our lives” (Puttnam, 1997) Historical narratives on a national past: the factuality and visual realism of how it was – the dramatized, personalized and emotionalised transformation of ‘documentary’ history. “Nationalism inevitably involves a mixture of the particular and the universal (…) The consciousness of national identity normally assumes an international context, which itself needs to be imagined every bit as much as does the national community (…). Thus foreigners are not simply others, symbolizing the obverse of us, they are also like us, part of the universal code of nationhood. Because nationhood involves this universal perspective (..) it differs crucially from the secluded ethnocentric mentality.” (Billig, 1995: 83).
17-11-2009 Dias 10
Department of Media, Cognition and Communication
Visions of Europe – soulless bureaucracy?
17-11-2009 Dias 11
Department of Media, Cognition and Communication
The foundation of EU – economy, the social and culture (Rome Treaty, 1957) An economic Union: ”Determined to lay the foundations
of an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe, (…)Resolved to ensure the economic and social progress of their countries by common action to eliminate the barriers which divide Europe” Economy and union – basis for peace:“balanced trade and fair competition (..) strengthen the unity of their economies (…) common commercial policy (..) peace and liberty” (…) Create a European Economic community” Communication Networks and Culture: ”Encouragement for the establishment and development of trans-European networks (..) contribution to education and training of quality and to the flowering of cultures of the member states” The notion of dual citizenship: Establishment of European citizenship (national and European)
17-11-2009 Dias 12
Department of Media, Cognition and Communication
EU and the deepening of cultural integration and cultural policy • •
Rome Treaty (1957): the cultural dimension defined narrowly as promotion of culture and cultural heritage conservation The European Parliament & Commission (1980s) •
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1980’s: starting point for development of policies on European communicative space and thoughts on European identity and European public sphere Hahn report (1982): defence of cultural regulation of media to protect diversity of European culture (‘dirigiste’) Television without frontiers (1984/1989) – Commissions more market oriented paper and directive on media (‘liberaliste’)
Maastricht Treaty (1993): Article 128 on culture: • • • • • • •
Flowering of culture, regional and national diversity, common cultural heritage Knowledge and dissemination of culture and history of Europe Safeguarding cultural heritage Non-commercial cultural exchange Promote and support artistic, audiovisual and literary creativity Take cultural dimension into account in all other actions Transnational collaboration both within Europe and beyond Europe
17-11-2009 Dias 13
Department of Media, Cognition and Communication
The EU slogan for cultural identity: diversity
”Unity in diversity” (European Commission, Maastricht Treaty) ”Given the multiplicity of language groups and ethnic heritages in Europe, it is reasonable to expect the persistence of strong ethnic sentiments in many parts of the continent, as well as the continuity or periodic revival of national identities, fuelled by the quest for ethnic traditions and cultural heritages of distinctive myths, memories and symbols.” (Anthony. D. Smith, 1992) Globalization as a force on homogenization in modern societies, but also a force of ’glocalization’ and of regional, national revival: global and national at the same time, but in different forms and on different levels depending on social group, work and education ”This then is where the European project must be located: between national revival and global global cultural aspirations (…) Sociologically human beeings have multiple identities, can move between themaccording to context and situation and such identities may be concentric rather than conflictual. None of this is to deny the cultural reality and vivid meanings of these identities (..) but there is plenty of historial evidence for the coexistence of concentric circles of allegiance.” (Smith 2992)
17-11-2009 Dias 14
Department of Media, Cognition and Communication
European cultural policy: film and media • •
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Hahn Report on media (1982): information and media - gap between union and citizen Television without Frontier directive (xxx): cornerstone of EU policy in audiovisual sector – open communicative market and identity and community building Media programme (1987-) – financial aid for training, production, distribution, dubbing etc (support in total since start untill today: 1.75 billion Euro) Eurimages (1988, Council of Europe): production of films to strenghthen Europe’s cultural identity. Europa Cinemas (1992) – support for a chain of European (art) cinemas and thus for the support of distribution of European films Structural evaluation of programs: in the short term very little success in getting European film and television united and distributed – perhaps in the long run building a more commmon European film and media culture. Policy change: A strong liberal turn in media policy transformed after 1993 to a more ’cultural’ policy of protection of diversity
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Some empirical data on EU film culture (2002data) • • • •
EU-film production pr. year: 700, US: 450 US-market: 350 mio.; EU-market: 490 mio (and growing) Average production price EU: 6 mio $, US: 58 mio $ Number of American films on the global top 20: 16, the rest are US/NZ, US/AU and US/GB co-productions • Percentage of film on the EU-market based on nationality: US (71.2), FR (10.2), GB (6.9), IT (2.7), ESP (2.7), GER (2.4), Others (3.4). • Audience figures in mio on the EU-market: US (500), Own national films on home-market (125), EU-films in other EU-markets than home market (50) • However recent trends in European film also shows sign of breaking new ways: Triers 3 latest films have grossed 17 mio € - an international art film success with also a firm success in Europe.
17-11-2009 Dias 16
Department of Media, Cognition and Communication
Film, media and the concept of national identity • •
National identity: a benign national feeling of cultural belonging vs. excessive and aggressive nationalism Mette Hjort (2005: 134-35): nationalism/patriotism in the first sense on film: • • • •
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Nation as object of focal awareness Element of ethnic belonging Absence of intended exclusion or actual victimization of some other both in film narrative itself and in process of reception National style not nationalistic in the aggressive, ideological sense, but a style gravitating towards a norm within a given national context of production
Cinema, television and nation building: • • • •
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Creating a national imaginary and sense of historical continuity including representation of ‘differences’ Creating a national public sphere and public debate Creating and sustaining a national cultural sphere Forming historical narratives interpreting the relation between local, national and global
Department of Media, Cognition and Communication
European Film Think Tank: a response to Europeanization and globalisation •
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Think Tank on European Film and Film Policy (TEFFP): formed in 2005 on DFI initiative, Henning Camre, financed initially by DK, but now broader European financing Main aims: • •
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Creating cohesion and synergy between national film cultures to enhance the value of film for Europe as a whole Bringing the creative and producing community in Europe in dialogue on best practices in film support systems, not necessarily one system, but the interaction of different systems on a national and transnational level Making sure that films produced in Europe reach a European audience and discussing what problems and strategies can be identified here Creating knowledge and data making it possible to have a transnational and European discussions on film and film culture on an informed and comparative basis. A new vision for a European Cinema making better contact with a broader audience and securing the diversity by fusing public support and market mechanisms
Department of Media, Cognition and Communication
Contours of a European film culture: target areas •
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Analysing and comparing national funding systems, cultural practices and criteria and values in support and the relation between public and private Analysing and comparing transnational co-funding and coproduction strategies in regions and Europe as a whole – the interaction of national and transnational mechanisms Analysing and comparing structures and developments of production companies – diversity, small is beautiful, critical mass on a national, European and global scale Analysing and comparing distribution companies and distribution practices Analysing typical cases of national films and co-produced films in relation to genre, audience and European and international market reach In depth, qualitative studies of European audiences and reaction to films of different national origin and different genre
17-11-2009 Dias 19
Department of Media, Cognition and Communication
European culture: ”a family of national cultures” in a dynamic transnational frame •
European institutional culture: • • • •
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European symbolic communication: • •
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a European cultural policy developed as part of national policy increased cultural collaboration acrosss Europe big European cultural institutions as symbol of European culture and heritage Public service and public cultural support as common ”European model” strong European cultural heritage as part of world heritage popular social imaginairies in film and media strongly dominated by either American products or own national products Few film and media products from one European nation reach broad popularity in other European countries Other art forms different patterns and longer history: litterature, architecture, paintings etc.
European everyday life and life forms: • • •
Regional and national life forms and rituals very important Europeanisation and globalisation very important and often ”invisible” influence on our life National, regional mentality and experience combined with multiple other forms of experience and mentality (real and mediated)
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Department of Media, Cognition and Communication
References • • • • • • • • • • • •
Ib Bondebjerg & Peter Madsen (eds, 2008): Media, Democracy and European Culture. Bristol/Chicago, Intellect Books) Anthony D. Smith (1992): National Identity and the Idea of European Unity (in International Affairs, 68:1) Anthony Giddens (2007): Europe in the Global Age (Polity) Gerard Delanty & Chris Rumford (2005): Rethinking Europe (2005) Ulrick Beck (2006): The cosmopolitan Vision (Polity) Fossum & Schlesinger (eds, 2007):The European Union and the Public Sphere. (Routledge) Bignell & Fickers (eds, 2008): A European Television History (Blackwell) Kataharine Sarikakis (ed, 2007): Media and Cultural Policy in the European Union (Rodopi) Richard Collins: Broadcasting and Audiovisual Policy in the European Single Market. John Libbey Anne Jäckel: European Film Industries. (BFI) Mike Wayne: The Politics of Contemporary European Cinema. (Intellect) Mette Hjort(2005): Small Nation, Global Cinema (Minnesota University Press)
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