The South African Arts Scene and European Cultural Institutions - A Troubled Relationship?
Date
2023-02
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Abstract
Framed within the conceptual idea of decoloniality, this research critically investigates the power dynamic between South African artists and European cultural institutions that operate in South Africa. The study examines colonial legacies of exploitative practices, knowledge imposition and neo-colonisation disguised as charity and development aid in the Arts. It highlights the disproportionate dependence on European institutions due to a lack of sufficient sources of funding and support available to artists in South Africa. The study further establishes the legitimate place of European cultural institutions in the cultural landscape and their significant role according to the perspectives of the interview partners who shared their experiences as art practitioners and cultural policy experts. A qualitative research process comprising six semi-structured narrative interviews with South African artists was conducted. The collected data are explored using experienced-centred Narrative Analysis, focusing on the identification of colonial legacies that surface from the narratives. The research uses decolonial theory as a theoretical lens into the investigated power dynamics in the field of cultural cooperation between European institutions and South African partners. Decoloniality helps to unpack and dismantle the underlying complexities. The analysis elicits the perspectives and experiences of art practitioners which indicate perpetuated colonial relations on different levels. The study concludes with a set of recommendations for practitioners on how a more decolonised practice in the field of transcultural collaboration between South African artists and European cultural institutions can be achieved.
Description
A research study presented to the Wits Centre for Diversity Studies in the School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Critical Diversity Studies, 2023.
Keywords
Decoloniality, Coloniality, Colonial legacy, European cultural institutions, Artists, Art practitioners, South Africa, Transcultural collaboration, Cultural cooperation, UCTD
Citation
Heide, Josephine Elisabeth. (2023). The South African Arts Scene and European Cultural Institutions - A Troubled Relationship? [Master's dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WIReDSpace. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/39959