Racial inequalities operate in the cultural sector at different levels and in multiple ways. They concern the access to the consumption, the production and the management of culture, and they intersect with other processes of discrimination and exclusion, such as those based on social class, gender, ethnicity, and religion. They affect the ways in which migrants are represented and are able to represent themselves, thus reinforcing cultural hegemonies and structural barriers that prevent migrants’ meaningful participation in artistic and cultural life. Racial inequalities are also reflected in broader discourses, policies, curatorial and aesthetic decisions. The cultural sector, from the arts to heritage, may then become a space for the (re)production of inequalities. However, it may also become a space of resistance to inequalities, challenging the system at place.

The focus of the discussion will be on navigating racial inequalities and related aspects, through bringing together a varied set of research experiences, focused on different cultural domains and practices, and mobilising varied theoretical and methodological approaches.

The guest speakers will make introductory remarks, followed by exchanges with the audience moderated by the chairs of the webinar.

Guest speakers:

Anamik Saha (Goldsmiths University of London)

Onur Suzan Nobrega (Goethe University, Frankfurt)

Annalisa Frisina (University of Padua)

Chair:

Carolina Triana Cuellar (University of Sussex)

DIVCULT aims to better understand the relevance of arts and culture in the theoretical and policy debates about immigrant incorporation and diversity in Europe and beyond. Over the last years, artistic activities have found increasing interest among migration researchers because they prove to be a means of moving beyond ethnic differences towards narratives of identity and belonging that are more apt to capture the current post-migrant reality in many cities and countries.