Romanian Cultural Institute Evaluation

7AA?CC04 ulsserLaLlon 2013~14 CandldaLe no.
122616

1

MA Cultural and Creative Industries
Dissertation cover sheet

Candidate number T22616
Date 1/09/14
Dissertation title Taking the leap: A study of the role of
intercultural dialogue in Romanian cultural
organisations in London
Word count 12 009
My dissertation research involved the
participation of human subjects, and therefore
needs Research Ethics clearance (Y / N)
Y
I have obtained the necessary Research Ethics
clearance and attached the statement of
approval from the Research Ethics committee
(Y / N/ n/a)
Y

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(/ 76%0.%2.*-8 %/5 %02$$ 9.'# '#$ )(66(9./0 *'%'$-$/':

This assignment is entirely my own work. Quotations from secondary literature are indicated by the use of
inverted commas around ALL such quotations AND by reference in the text or notes to the author concerned.
ALL primary and secondary literature used in this piece of work is indicated in the bibliography placed at the end,
and dependence upon ANY source used is indicated at the appropriate point in the text. I confirm that no
sources have been used other than those stated. I UNDERSTAND WHAT IS MEANT BY PLAGIARISM AND
HAVE SIGNED THE DECLARATION CONCERNING THE AVOIDANCE OF PLAGIARISM. I UNDERSTAND
THAT PLAGIARISM IS A SERIOUS EXAMINATIONS OFFENCE THAT MAY RESULT IN DISCIPLINARY
ACTION BEING TAKEN.

7AA?CC04 ulsserLaLlon 2013~14 CandldaLe no. 122616

2

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3

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1hls dlsserLaLlon Lakes a posLcolonlal approach Lo lnvesLlgaLe how culLural organlsaLlons
uLlllse lnLerculLural dlalogue Lo brldge culLural dlfferences and conslders Lhe facLors LhaL
enable and consLraln Lhls occurrence. lL conslders Lhe larger framework of Lhe Luropean
unlon Lo conLexLuallse ldenLlLy, culLure and lnLerculLural dlalogue pro[ecLs as seL ouL by
Lhls homogenlslng supranaLlonal force. !anuary 2014 marked Lhe endlng of LranslLlonal
conLrols for 8omanlan lmmlgranLs and Lhe beglnnlng of a someLlmes anLl-rheLorlc
dlscourse ln Lhe uk medla before and afLer resLrlcLlons were llfLed. lnsplred by Lhe
currenL slLuaLlon, Lhls dlsserLaLlon explores how Lhe 8omanlan CulLural lnsLlLuLe London
and 8omanlan CulLural CenLre address oLherness. uslng quallLaLlve lnLervlews from
lnLerculLural dlalogue sLakeholders, a shorL conLenL analysls of Lhe 8Cl and 8CC, as well
as documenLed Lu sources Lo supporL my analysls, Lhls sLudy suggesLs LhaL tlsk
lnfluences wheLher or noL culLural organlsaLlons conducL lnLerculLural dlalogue pro[ecLs.


4

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<&(53106(%3& ....................................................................................................................... 3
8ackground lnformaLlon ............................................................................................................. 9
;3&(*/(*1 <1*&(%(%*/ ........................................................................................................ 11
WhaL's all Lhe fuss abouL? ......................................................................................................... 11
ldenLlLles ln flux ........................................................................................................................ 12
A poslLlve ouLlook ..................................................................................................................... 14
=053,*#& <1*&(%(2 ............................................................................................................ 16
Lu ldenLlLy and oLherness ......................................................................................................... 18
<&(*560+(05#+ 1%#+3'0* ...................................................................................................... 21
LLhnocenLrlsm and power ........................................................................................................ 21
1he arLlsL's role ......................................................................................................................... 23
>*()313+3'2 #&1 ?5#8*@35$ ......................................................................................... 24
CuallLaLlve daLa ........................................................................................................................ 23
CuanLlLaLlve daLa ...................................................................................................................... 26
LlmlLaLlons and valldlLy ............................................................................................................. 27
A3@ 13*/ ()* 7;; #&1 7;< #115*// 3()*5&*//B .............................................................. 31
ldenLlLles: asL, presenL and fuLure .......................................................................................... 31
Cvercomlng Lhe fear of Lhe oLher ............................................................................................. 31
Challenglng percepLlons ............................................................................................................ 33
Whose Lhere, who cares? ......................................................................................................... 33
C)#( #5* ()* 4#6(35/ ()#( *&#:+* #&1 63&/(5#%& %&(*560+(05#+ 1%#+3'0*B ...................... 37
8omanla ln Lhe Lu famlly .......................................................................................................... 37
Are you an arLlsL or a soclal worker? ........................................................................................ 39
ConLenL analysls ........................................................................................................................ 40
Pow rlsky ls Loo rlsky? ............................................................................................................... 43
;3&6+0/%3&/ ...................................................................................................................... 43
D%:+%3'5#,)2 ..................................................................................................................... 47
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3

<&(53106(%3&

!anuary 1, 2014 marked Lhe endlng of LranslLlonal conLrols for 8omanlan and
8ulgarlan workers ln Lhe uk as well as Lhe emergence of a someLlmes anLl-rheLorlc
dlscourse ln medla coverage before and afLer resLrlcLlons were llfLed. AlLhough
publlshed arLlcles and reporLs porLrayed so-called A2" lmmlgranLs ln a poslLlve llghL,
sensaLlonallsm Lrlumphed over reason for some medla ouLleLs (Calbeaza, 2014). A
recenL reporL by MlgraLlon CbservaLory (2014: 2) esLlmaLed LhaL over 2.8 mllllon words
were found ln 19 maln naLlonal newspapers ln relaLlon Lo 8omanlan and 8ulgarlan
lmmlgranLs from Lhe perlod of uecember 2012 Lo uecember 2013. Lven non-pollLlcal
Lhlnk Lhanks ln Lhe llkes of MlgranL WaLch (2013) relnforced Lhe lmmlgraLlon paranola,
wrongly esLlmaLlng LhaL 30 000 lmmlgranLs from 8ulgarla and 8omanla would "fled Lhe
counLry" (Calbeaza, 2014: 4). 1he maln LargeLs of aLLenLlon were 8omanlans ln Lhe uk,
lncludlng Lhe esLlmaLed 44, 848 llvlng ln London (MlgranL CbservaLory, 2014: 3).
AlLhough Lhls dlsserLaLlon does noL focus on dlscourse analysls, an accounL of Lhe
represenLaLlon of lmmlgranLs wlLhln Lhe medla can help slLuaLe Lhe lmporLance of
oLherness ln Lhls paper. 1he sLlgmaLlsaLlon of 8omanlan lmmlgranLs ln Lhe uk medla can
also be approached ln a proacLlve manner, ln Lerms of asklng: whaL can be done Lo
decrease our fear of Lhe oLher, and how can we brldge culLural dlfferences Lo allow for
peaceful co-hablLaLlon? lL ls Lhrough Lhe lens of arLs and culLure LhaL Lhls paper
hlghllghLs Lhe value of soclal coheslon - noL only relevanL for Lhls parLlcular conLexL, buL
for eLhnlc confllcLs worldwlde.

6

lL ls agalnsL Lhls background LhaL Lhls dlsserLaLlon wlll begln by conLexLuallslng
Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween Lhe uk and Lhe Lu Lo beLLer undersLand Lhe framework of
dlscusslon. 1he flrsL parL of Lhe llLeraLure revlew wlll draw on posLcolonlal LheorlsLs
(8habha: 1994, Sald: 1978, Pall: 1993) Lo lnvesLlgaLe Lhe facLors LhaL consLrucL ldenLlLles
wlLhln Lhe larger framework of mulLlculLurallsm. 1he second parL explores Lhe
promlnence of culLure and lnLerculLural dlalogue ln Lhe Lu rheLorlc, and ln so dolng
provldes a concepLual undersLandlng of Lhe oLher aL a supranaLlonal level. 1he analysls
wlll aLLempL Lo answer Lhe followlng Lwo research quesLlons:
! Pow does Lhe 8omanlan CulLural lnsLlLuLe London (8Cl) and Lhe 8omanlan
CulLural CenLer (8CC) address oLherness wlLhln Lhelr culLural acLlvlLles?
! WhaL facLors enable and/or consLraln Lhe lncluslon of lnLerculLural dlalogue
pro[ecLs wlLhln Lhelr agenda?
1he analysls engages wlLh quallLaLlve meLhods by conducLlng lnLervlews wlLh
represenLaLlves of Lhe culLural organlsaLlons ln quesLlon, as well as wlLh a sLakeholder ln
Lhe currenL lmmlgraLlon debaLe Lo explore Lhe naLure of lnLerculLural dlalogue wlLhln
Lhelr respecLlve seLLlngs. lL Lhen uLlllses quanLlLaLlve meLhods by Lhe use of conLenL
analysls Lo lnvesLlgaLe Lhe frequency and Lype of lnLerculLural dlalogue evenLs lnlLlaLed
by Lhe 8Cl and 8CC. My hypoLhesls ls LhaL alLhough culLural organlsaLlons work Lowards
addresslng lssues of oLherness, lnLerculLural dlalogue ls noL yeL parL of Lhelr mandaLe
because of sLrucLural llmlLaLlons, whlch l wlsh Lo dlscover.
D#6$'530&1 <&4358#(%3&
'1he uk has always been Lhe champlon of enlargemenL. And LhaL's changed',
clalms 8rlLlsh rlme MlnlsLer uavld Cameron (8russels, 2013). 1hls speech was held

7

uecember 20, 2013 - less Lhan Lwo weeks before 8omanlan and 8ulgarlan endlng of
LranslLlonal resLrlcLlons Lo Lhe uk and all Lu member counLrles. As asserLed by Lhe
Luropean Commlsslon ln 1999 - also known as Lhe Lu's execuLlve body - enlargemenL ls
undersLood as 'Lhe besL way Lo achleve peace and securlLy, democracy, and Lhe rule of
law, growLh and Lhe foundaLlons of prosperlLy LhroughouL Lurope' (hlnnemore, 2010:
299). lreedom of movemenL allows for Lu clLlzens Lo mlgraLe across borders wlLhln Lhe
unlon. As Cameron urges for sLronger resLrlcLlons on mlgraLlon (8russels, 2013), uk's
euroscepLlclsm (Andreev, 2009: 386) ls lllusLraLlve ln lLs apparenL relucLance Lowards
lmmlgraLlon.
lL can be argued LhaL eLhnlclLy does noL play a role ln deLermlnlng whlch Lu
members are more welcomed Lhan oLhers. AlLhough Lhls paper acknowledges LhaL
sLronger resLrlcLlons Lo lmmlgraLlon pollcles do noL necessarlly enLall dlscrlmlnaLlon
Lowards cerLaln groups of people, lL does presenL an amounL of lnformaLlon LhaL proves
oLherwlse. lor lnsLance, poLenLlal 8omanlans and 8ulgarlans faced resLrlcLlons on
welfare beneflLs ln Lhelr accesslon Lo Lhe Lu, whlle unlverslLy sLudenLs' granLs and loans
were suspended wlLhouL noLlce (1he Cuardlan, 2014).
As means of noL vlcLlmlslng 8omanlans, lL musL be acknowledged LhaL Lhe counLry
has lndeed galned a negaLlve repuLaLlon, noL only because of Lhe prollferaLlon of
sensaLlonallsL headllnes ln Lhe medla, buL also as a resulL of experLs ralslng concerns ln
regards Lo lLs pollLlcal corrupLlon and lmmaLure democraLlc sLrucLures (Andreev, 2009).
1hese shorLcomlngs have been deflned as represenLaLlve of 8omanla's 'lnablllLy Lo
swlfLly deal wlLh Lhe pollLlcal and soclal challenges cropplng up afLer accesslon', and lL

8

has been furLher argued LhaL Lhls glves plenLy of argumenLs" Lo counLrles promoLlng an
anLl-Lu enlargemenL manLra (Andreev, 2009: 391).
Some uk Lablolds and Lhe ukl ln parLlcular have Lurned Lhelr aLLenLlon Lowards
8omanlans - labellng Lhem as "aggresslve beggars" (Mall Cnllne uk), "pennlless
lmmlgranLs" (1he 1elegraph uk)" and ralslng safeLy lssues lf, "a group of 8omanlan
people suddenly moved nexL door" (nlgel larage) (Calbeaza, 2014: 3, 88C, 2014). 1hls
lncrease ln Lhe fear of Lhe oLher brlngs forLh quesLlons of ldenLlLy and belonglng,
beLween each oLher as well as wlLhln Lhe larger framework of Lhe Luropean unlon.
Lurope's slogan "unlLy ln dlverslLy" ls lnsplrlng, buL does Lhe lmage lL wlshes Lo
convey reflecL lLs reallLy? ln Lhe currenL conLexL of freedom of movemenL, Lhe Luropean
Commlsslon (2014: 3) cauLlons LhaL lncreaslng eLhnlc confllcLs may puL 'soclal coheslon,
and aL Lhe same Llme Lhe Luropean pro[ecL aL rlsk'. Accordlngly, lnLerculLural dlalogue ls
glven lncreaslng lmporLance ln homogenlslng and mlgranL-averse counLrles. 1o manage
Lhe problems LhaL can lncur from Lhe meeLlng of dlverse culLures, Lhe Councll of Lurope
(2008), also known as Lurope's leadlng human rlghLs organlsaLlon, clalms LhaL
lnLerculLural dlalogue ls a sulLable sLraLegy Lo medlaLe eLhnlc confllcLs. AlLhough
lnLerculLural dlalogue ls vlcLlm of deflnlLlonal amblgulLy, Lhe Councll of Lurope's
deflnlLlon ls wldely recognlsed and goes as follows:
[lnLerculLural dlalogue] ls a process LhaL comprlses an open and respecLful
exchange or lnLeracLlon beLween lndlvlduals, groups and organlzaLlons wlLh
dlfferenL culLural backgrounds or worldvlews. Among lLs alms are: Lo develop a
deeper undersLandlng of dlverse perspecLlves and pracLlces, Lo lncrease
parLlclpaLlon and freedom and ablllLy Lo make cholces, Lo fosLer equallLy, and Lo
enhance creaLlve processes (2008: 10).


9

1hus, lnLerculLural dlalogue can be undersLood as a Lool Lo manage negaLlve
percepLlons, challenge sLereoLypes, and hopefully redeflne our noLlons of percepLlon
and reallLy for Lhe beLLer. 8y comparlng and conLrasLlng posLcolonlal LheorlsLs, my alm ls
Lo quesLlon whaL has become normallzed ln Lhe dlscourse of Lhe oLher, as lLeraLed by
noLable scholars and relnforced wlLhln Lhe framework of Lu culLural pollcles. 1he
posLcolonlal approach ls flLLlng when dlscusslng lnLerculLural dlalogue as Lhe laLLer
preclsely deals wlLh brldglng culLural dlfferences wlLh Lhe oLher (Luropean Commlsslon,
2014).
;3&(*/(*1 %1*&(%(%*/
As eLhnlclLy ls 'a key elemenL of self-ldenLlflcaLlon' (Seslc and urago[ecvlc, 2006:
48), Lhls secLlon draws on Lheorles of colonlsaLlon, sLereoLypes and hybrldlLy, ln order Lo
make sense of how ldenLlLles are framed and consequenLly shaped wlLhln parLlcular
pollcy frameworks. 8efore aLLempLlng Lo undersLand how ldenLlLles are consLrucLed
wlLhln dlverse culLures, lL ls cruclal Lo conslder Lhe concepLual framework of
mulLlculLurallsm. MulLlculLurallsm refers Lo an approach Lo allow for successful coheslon
among culLural groups (Councll of Lurope, 2008). 8ased on Lhe premlse of an
aLmosphere of muLual Lolerance, mulLlculLurallsm ls a dlspuLed concepL wlLhln Lhe
pollLlcal dlscourse of WesLern socleLy. Whlle some scholars agree LhaL mulLlculLurallsm
ls an lmporLanL elemenL for a LoleranL and llberal sLaLe, oLhers conLend LhaL ls a falled
pollcy.
Werbner and Modood (1997: 21) deflne Lhe drawbacks of mulLlculLurallsm as 'a
Lendency Lo exaggeraLe culLural dlfference, and Lhus valorlse fundamenLallsL culLural

10

self-deflnlLlons amongsL mlnorlLles'. 1he Councll of Lurope's 'WhlLe aper on ulalogue'
suggesLs LhaL mulLlculLurallsm relnforces Lhe dlsLlncLlon beLween Lhe mlnorlLy and Lhe
ma[orlLy, whlle Lhe CpaLl[a ueclaraLlon (2003) argues LhaL Lhls dlvlslon 'slngles ouL
culLures and communlLles, and caLegorlses Lhem and sLlgmaLlses Lhem ln a sLaLlc
poslLlon, Lo Lhe polnL ln whlch soclal behavlour and culLural sLereoLypes are assumed on
Lhe basls of groups' respecLlve 'sLaLus' (clLed ln Councll of Lurope, 2008: 18). Clven Lhe
apparenL cauLlon of adopLlng mulLlculLurallsL frameworks, Lhe Councll of Lurope
proposes lnLerculLural dlalogue as a flLLlng pollcy framework LhaL, unllke
mulLlculLurallsm, does noL allow for moral relaLlvlsm and lnsLead, values equallLy among
culLures.
CloballsaLlon and dlverslLy of culLures are lnLerrelaLed concepLs (klwan and
Melnhof, 2006: 69). 1hus, Lhe conLexL of globallsaLlon ls also lmporLanL Lo conslder
when dlscusslng pollcy frameworks for hosL counLrles. lrance and Cermany MlnlsLrles of
CulLure have boLh deflned globallsaLlon as a LhreaL Lo culLural ldenLlLles, and, as lrench
MlnlsLer of CulLure 1rauLmann (1999) sLaLes, 'lf we are noL careful, lL wlll engender a
culLural sLandardlsaLlon, Lhe unlformlsaLlon of behavlours and llfesLyles' (clLed ln klwan
and Melnhof, 2006: 69). Angela Merkel, uavld Cameron and nlcolas Sarkozy (2010,
2011) have ln unlson labelled mulLlculLurallsm as an "uLLer fallure" (clLed ln Aman, 2012:
1011).
1he need Lo adapL an adequaLe pollcy framework for managlng dlverslLy ls
cruclal Lo enable peaceful co-hablLaLlon amongsL communlLles of dlfference as well as
allow for Lhe flourlshlng of dlfference. Melnhof and 1rlandafyllldou (2006: 10) explaln

11

Lhe recenL shlfL away from mulLlculLurallsm noL as a resulL of lLs lnherenL drawbacks, buL
raLher ln relaLlon Lo rlslng naLlonallsm and fear from WesLern counLrles.
C)#(E/ #++ ()* 40// #:30(B
As a resulL of freedom of movemenL and consequenLly, Lhe merglng of culLures -
feellngs of anxleLy broughL by dlfference are all buL uncommon. 8enedlcL Anderson's
lmoqloeJ commooltles relaLes Lhe rlse of naLlonallsm Lo Lhe ldea of belonglng Lo a
naLlon, Lhus relnforclng Lhe sense of us", clLlzens of Lhe sLaLe, and Lhem", Lhe oLhers.
osLcolonlal and lnLerculLural communlcaLlon LheorlsLs have aLLempLed Lo make sense
of Lhe fear of Lhe oLher, and whaL Lhls enLalls. 8habha (1994: 64) assoclaLes anxleLy ln
relaLlon Lo Lhe oLher wlLh "lack" and "dlfference", whllsL neullep (2011: 318) llnks lL Lo
"uncerLalnLy" and "amblgulLy". neullep (2011) more speclflcally deflnes anxleLy as a
cognlLlve phenomenon LhaL resLrlcLs communlcaLlon beLween dlfferenL culLures.
Sald (1978: 291) asserLs LhaL panlcs spreads, and LhaL Lhere ls 'more danger ln
such a feellng of spreadlng of fear Lhan ln greaL haLred'. Accordlngly, Sald (1978: 198)
argues LhaL Lhe medla and pollLlclans use fear as a Lool for ulLerlor moLlves LhaL
Lranscend Lhe real fear of dlfference. 1hls sense of LhreaL broughL forLh by Lhe mlgranL
can be explalned ln varlous ways such as economlc - ln Lerms of decreaslng [ob
opporLunlLles, or soclal ln regards Lo lmpedlng on Lhe core values held by Lhe hosL
(Melnhof and 1rlandafyllldou, 2006: 11). Melnhof and 1rlandafyllldou (2006: 11) furLher
argue LhaL 'mlgraLlon becomes ulLlmaLely a securlLy maLLer', whlch brlngs forLh Lhe
dlchoLomy from whaL ls expecLed from a mulLlculLurallsL socleLy - accepLance of
dlverslLy - and on Lhe oLher hand a deslre Lo feel "safe".

12

ConsequenLly, when 8omanla was granLed condlLlonal access Lo Lhe Lu ln 2007,
Lhere was a flow of "lnsLlLuLlonallzed raclsm" and "culLurallsL dlscourse" LhaL segregaLed
Lhe newcomers and lnsLalled fear ln naLlonals (van u[lk, 1992: 89). van ul[k (1992: 90)
explalns LhaL Lhls publlc dlscourse ls mosL lnfluenLlal ln denlgraLlng Lhe lmage of
mlgranLs as lL helps consLrucL Lhe domlnanL whlLe consensus". 1he former ls
exempllfled by Lhe work resLrlcLlons lmposed on 8omanlan lmmlgranLs and Lhe laLLer
can be seen ln Lhe dlscourse wlLhln Lhe Lablold medla, descrlblng Lhem as havlng
'crlmlnal Lendencles, unclvlllzed behavlour, and moral deflclencles' (lox eL al., 2012:
690). 1hls process of relLeraLlng sLereoLypes ls whaL 8habha (1994: 93) calls
"amblvalence", and ls cenLral Lo relnforclng dlscrlmlnaLlon of a people.
<1*&(%(%*/ %& 4+0F
Pall (1993: 222) lnvlLes us Lo Lhlnk of culLural ldenLlLy as a ''producLlon", whlch ls
'never compleLe, always ln process, and always consLlLuLed wlLhln, noL ouLslde
represenLaLlon'. Pall (1993: 223) also presenLs culLural ldenLlLy ln Lerms of "becomlng"
and slmulLaneously "belng". 8habha (1994, clLed ln Aman, 2012: 1013) relnforces Lhls
noLlon of "becomlng" and "belng" when he brlngs forLh Lhe concepL of performaLlvlLy,
whlch ls a 'consLanL relnvenLlon of Lhe 'people' Lhrough Lhelr everyday llves ln Lerms of
produclng, acLlng, llvlng'. ldenLlLy ls Lhus consLanLly ln flux as lL osclllaLes beLween pasL,
presenL and fuLure (Aman, 2012) and only from Lhls perspecLlve can Lhe colonlal
experlence be undersLood (Pall, 1993). ln oLher words, Lhe legacy of Lhe pasL - Lhe
hlsLory of colonlsaLlon - ls lmbued ln ldenLlLles, whlch makes Lhem conLesLed and
dlfflculL Lo grasp (Pall, 1993). Pall (1993) and Sald (1978) draw on loucaulL Lo explaln

13

Lhe "play of power" LhaL ls lnsLllled ln Lhe colonlal dlscourse - where Lhe represenLaLlon
of Lhe "oLher" ls presenLed wlLhln a domlnanL dlscourse LhaL ls consLanLly reproduced. lL
can be sald LhaL Cramscl (n.d. clLed ln Macey, 2010: 16) reasons LhaL Lhls "play of
power" ls noL only presenL, buL LhaL Lhe sub[ecLed group sponLaneously" consenLs Lo
whaL ls lmposed, Lhus reproduclng lLs hegemony.
SLereoLypes are undersLood as characLerlsLlcs we belleve hold Lrue for a cerLaln
populaLlon. As 8habha (1994: 93) puLs lL, Lhe sLereoLype 'ls a form of knowledge and
ldenLlflcaLlon LhaL vaclllaLes beLween whaL ls always "ln place", already known, and
someLhlng LhaL musL be anxlously repeaLed'. Sald (1978: 121) explalns LhaL
classlflcaLlons of "race, colour, orlgln, characLer, Lypes" are cenLral Lo Lhe creaLlon of
sLereoLypes and even more so ln relnforclng dlsLlncLlons beLween "us" and "Lhem".
8habha (1994: xvll) [usLlfles LhaL Lhe mlgranL's oLherness derlves from 'belonglng
[as] a problem of onLology'. ln oLher words, belonglng Lo a race, gender, and class" ls
"second naLure" (8habha, 194: xvll), and, ln Lurn, connoLes characLerlsLlcs LhaL are sald
Lo be lnherenL Lo LhaL '"race, gender, and class". Cn Lhe oLher hand, neullep (2011)
provldes a poslLlve ouLlook on sLereoLypes, as Lhey are sald Lo allow for generallsaLlons
Lo occur. ln Lhls way, Lhe fear of Lhe oLher ls decreased because Lhe oLher's
characLerlsLlcs are noL unknown".
8habha (1994) argues LhaL sLereoLypes are cruclal Lo Lhe evaluaLlon of Lhe safe"
clLlzen. Accordlngly, Lhe scholar reflecLs upon common lnLerrogaLlons processes: 'how
do we Lell Lhe good mlgranL from Lhe bad mlgranL? Whlch culLures are safe? Whlch
unsafe?'(8habha, 1994: xvll) 1hls lncreaslng survelllance noL only ob[ecLlfles Lhe

14

lndlvldual buL also assumes a level of generallsaLlon, where Lhe lndlvldual ls noL seen as
unlque buL raLher ln a homogenlsed manner, as parL of a larger group ldenLlLy,
relLeraLlng Lhe problem of onLology. Moreover, Pall (1993: 223) presenLs culLural
ldenLlLy as a "shared culLure" where [...] our culLural ldenLlLles reflecL Lhe common
hlsLorlcal experlences and shared culLural codes whlch provlde us, as 'one people', wlLh
sLable, unchanglng and conLlnuous frames of reference and meanlng'. 1hls flxlLy ln
represenLlng Lhe oLher allows for Lhe perpeLuaLlon of survelllance, whlch ls enabled by
Lhe generallsaLlon of Lhe mlgranL, consLrucLed as oLher, and framed wlLhln flxed
caLegorles.
. ,3/%(%G* 30(+33$
AlLhough ldenLlLles are shaped wlLhln cerLaln resLralnlng facLors, Lhere are also
poslLlve ways ln whlch Lhey can flourlsh. lor example, 8habha (1994) lnLroduces Lhe
concepL of vernacular cosmopollLanlsm, whlch provldes an opLlmlsLlc ouLlook ln how
ldenLlLles can be consLrucLed. vernacular cosmopollLanlsm ls deflned as 'a pollLlcal
process LhaL works Lowards Lhe shared goals of democraLlc rules, raLher Lhan slmply
acknowledglng already consLlLuLed "marglnal" pollLlcal enLlLles or ldenLlLles' (8habha,
1994: xx). Accordlngly, Lhls "rlghL Lo dlfference ln equallLy" reflecLs upon a deslre Lo
reconslder Lhe noLlon of clLlzenshlp as one LhaL does noL solely depend on ldenLlLles
formed by naLlonhood. ln dlsmlsslng "symbollc clLlzenshlp", 8habha (1994) lnvlLes for
Lhe posslblllLy Lo Lranscend Lhls problem of onLology and reach a hlgher eLhlcal
sLandard, where dlscrlmlnaLlon does noL depend on one's naLlon of orlgln.

13

Moreover, for uu8ols (n.d. clLed ln 8habha, 1994: xxll), a 'mlnorlLy only dlscovers
lLs pollLlcal force and lLs aesLheLlc form when lL ls arLlculaLed across and alongslde
communlLles of dlfference, ln acLs of afflllaLlon and conLlngenL coallLlons'. WlLhln Lhe
conLexL of globallsaLlon, Lhese "across and alongslde" encounLers are relevanL as
dlfferenL culLures are lncreaslngly ln conLacL. Moreover, power dlfferenLlals beLween
mlgranLs and naLlonals also allow for Lhese 'acLs of afflllaLlons and conLlngenL coallLlons'
(8habha, 1994: xxll). 8habha (1994) proposes Lhe concepL of hybrldlLy ln lnvesLlgaLlng
power dlfferenLlals beLween oppressed and oppressor, as he sLaLes LhaL hybrlds emerge
from a 1hlrd Space":
1hese ln beLween spaces provlde Lhe Lerraln for elaboraLlng sLraLegles of selfhood
- slngular or communal - LhaL lnlLlaLe new slgns of ldenLlLy and lnnovaLlve slLes of
collaboraLlng, and conLesLaLlon ln Lhe acL of deflnlng Lhe ldea of socleLy lLself
(8habha, 1994: 2).

1hls '1hlrd Space' allows for hybrlds Lo creaLe new alLernaLlves from LhaL of
Lhose ln Lhe domlnanL dlscourse, and ln Lhls way, form Lhelr own consLrucLlons of self'
(8habha, 1994: 3). Cn Lhe oLher hand, Ahmad (1993 clLed ln Werbner and Modood,
1997: 21) argues LhaL hybrldlLy ls problemaLlc, ln Lhe sense LhaL lL 'falls Lo move beyond
Lhe ephemeral and Lhe conLlngenL, Lhus lL masks long-Lerm soclal and pollLlcal
conLlnulLles and LransformaLlons'. 1he scholar furLher clalms LhaL change musL come
from a 'coherenL sense of place, of belonglng, of some sLable commlLmenL Lo one's
class, gender or naLlon' (Ahmad, 1993 clLed ln Werbner and Modood, 1997: 21).
lL musL be relLeraLed LhaL Lhls flxlLy LhaL Ahmad (1993) brlngs forLh ls preclsely
whaL Pall (1993), 8habha (1994) and Sald (1978) deem as cenLral Lo Lhe formaLlon of
sLereoLypes. Werbner and Modood (1997: 3) rlghLfully ask, 'whaL ls Lhe place and

16

meanlng of culLural hybrldlLy ln Lhe conLexL of growlng global uncerLalnLy, xenophobla,
and raclsm'? As culLural hybrldlLy opLlmlsLlcally" alms Lo challenge Lhe domlnanL
dlscourse, Lhese llmlnal spaces" (8ahbha, 1994) are lmporLanL Lo conslder wlLhln Lhe
larger dlscourse of Lhe Luropean unlon.
=053,*#& H&%3& <1*&(%(2
1hls chapLer focuses on Lhe Lu's culLural slogan "unlLy ln dlverslLy" as a focal
aspecL ln Lhe Lu dlscourse of homogenlsaLlon and quesLlons Lhe lncreaslng focus on
culLure on behalf of Lhe Lu as an lmporLanL aspecL of lLs brandlng.
vldmar-PorvaL (2012: 28) noLes LhaL lL ls lmporLanL Lo deflne whaL ls 'Luropean
culLure' and 'Luropean ldenLlLy' Lo be able Lo assess Lhe success of lnLerculLural dlalogue
pollcymaklng ln brldglng culLural dlfferences. 1he common values of Lhe Luropean
ldenLlLy lnclude 'human dlgnlLy, freedom, equallLy, solldarlLy, democracy and Lhe rule of
law' (klwan and Melnhof, 2006: 61). LssenLlally, Lhe Lu ls an alllance of 28 member
sLaLes LhaL funcLlons ln a sLandardlzed way ln whlch members musL adhere Lo common
rules, eLhlcs and values. 1he Lu was formed afLer WWll on Lhe premlse of a peaceful
cohablLaLlon beLween nelghbourlng counLrles (vldmar-PorvaL, 2012). AfLer lL belng
dlsmlssed ln Lhe flrsL lnsLances of Lhe creaLlon of Lhe Lu (vldmar-PorvaL, 2012, karaca,
2010), culLural pollcy galned promlnence ln Lwo ways: flrsLly, ln Lerms of 'creaLlng a
common Luropean ldenLlLy Lhrough culLure' (Mokre, 2006) and secondly, from Lhls ldea
of "unlLy ln dlverslLy" (Melnhof and 1rlandafyllldou, 2006: 3).
More speclflcally, Lhe 1992 MaasLrlchL 1reaLy gave 'a supranaLlonal compeLence
on culLure' and prlorlLlsed Lhe laLLer ln Lhe Lu wlLh regards Lo soclal coheslon and

17

lnLerculLural dlalogue (SassaLelll, 2006: 27). 1he Lu's slogan "unlLy ln dlverslLy" ls
mandaLed Lo 'enhance Lhe feellng of belonglng Lo one and Lhe same communlLy' (Lu,
2014), whllsL Laklng lnLo accounL Lhe dlverslLy of culLures. ln llne wlLh Lhls ldea of
dlverslLy, Lhe 2004 and 2007 Lu enlargemenLs have Lrlggered a redeflnlLlon of ldenLlLy
for all Lu members (vldmar-PorvaL, 2012).
Consldered as 'an essenLlal elemenL of Luropean lnLegraLlon' (CulLure 2007), Lhe
MaasLrlchL 1reaLy emphaslsed "unlLy ln dlverslLy", and 'made every clLlzen of an Lu
member sLaLe a clLlzen of Lhe Lu' (8omberg and SLubb, 2003: 164). Anderson's
lmoqloeJ commooltles ls ofLen menLloned ln academlc research on Lu culLure as lL
reflecLs upon Lhe myLh ln Lhe relnforcemenL of Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween Lhe clLlzen and
naLlon. 1hls so-called myLh, as Anderson puLs lL, ls cruclal ln Lhe formaLlon of Lhe
uLoplan Lu and lLs ldeals of lmaglnlng a communlLy where dlverse culLures come
LogeLher as one.
Accordlngly, programs ln Lhe llkes of CulLure 2000 formed and parLnershlps
beLween Lhe Councll of Lurope and Lhe Lu solldlfled as means of encouraglng a sLronger
bond beLween Lu and clLlzens (SassaLelll, 2006). lor example, Lhe creaLlon of Lhe
Luropean ClLy of CulLure" program glves aLLenLlon Lo culLure and lllusLraLes Lhe Lu's
alm Lo relnforce Lhe clLlzen-Lu relaLlonshlp by encouraglng a sLronger bond Lo member
clLles. Powever, 8omberg and SLubb (2003: 164) argue LhaL Lhls 'has done llLLle Lo lnsLll
a greaLer sense of ldenLlLy or belonglng'. karaca (2010) and klwan and kosnlck (2010)
argue ln unlson LhaL culLure ls lnsLrumenLal Lo appease economlc and soclal Lenslons

18

derlvlng from boLh lmmlgraLlon and Lhe homogenlsaLlon of Lhe Lu, and lL ls agalnsL Lhls
backdrop LhaL oLherness ls deemed lmporLanL Lo dlscuss.
=H <1*&(%(2 #&1 I()*5&*//
AlLhough Lhe Lu's symbollsm ls eloquenLly expressed ln lLs pollcy documenLs, Lhe
Luropean ldenLlLy comes wlLh assumpLlons LhaL are lmporLanL Lo declpher. lor lnsLance,
vldmar-PorvaL (2012) brlngs forLh a loucauldlan approach Lo Lhe "Luropean clLlzen" as
he uncovers power relaLlons wlLhln Lhe Luropean baromeLer, whlch ls essenLlally a
measuremenL of publlc oplnlon on dlverse maLLers such as dlscrlmlnaLlon, [usLlce, and
freedom. 1he scholar argues LhaL Lhe Lu baromeLer reproduces Lhe LasL and WesL
dlchoLomy, as Lhe LasL ls percelved as "amblguous and ln flux" and Lhus amenable Lo
scruLlny (vldmar-PorvaL, 2012). 1hls orlenLal dlscourse wlLhln Lhe Lu baromeLer ls
dlsplayed wlLhln 'WesLern quesLlons' such as 'whaL do people ln Lhe candldaLe counLrles
read?' (vldmar-PorvaL, 2012: 33), expllclLly unvelllng an ldeal Lo whlch Lhe LasL musL be
measured Lo. Accordlngly, Lhe Lu elaboraLes power dlfferenLlals wlLhln lLs dlscourse,
scruLlnlslng poLenLlal members, and furLher marglnallslng Lhose who do noL flL ln.
8e[ecLlng Lhls noLlon of unlLy ln dlverslLy" proclalmed by Lhe Lu, klwan and
Melnhof (2006: 61) malnLaln LhaL 'common core values are [uxLaposed Lo oLher" values
and culLures ln Lhe conLexL of lmmlgraLlon'. Seslc, urago[ecvlc (2006) noLe LhaL Lhere ls a
dlvlslon ln Lurope beLween Lhe LasL and Lhe WesL, whaL Lhe auLhors label Lurowall".
Anderson (2009 clLed ln Seslc and urago[ecvlc, 2006:49) furLher relLeraLes LhaL Lhe Lu
presenLs lLself as 'havlng a hlgher seL of values', whlle klwan and Melnhof (2006: 38)
sLaLe LhaL 'of course, whaL ls undersLood by Luropean culLure ls poLenLlally problemaLlc

19

and a raLher Laken for granLed sense of a ChrlsLlan whlLe Luropeanness seems Lo have
domlnaLed'. 1hls "whlLe Luropeanness" more speclflcally refers Lo an lncluslve - and
essenLlally excluslve - porLrayal of values LhaL are Lo be shared by Lhls new "global
clLlzen", Lhls Lu naLlonal".
Moreover, vldmar-PorvaL (2012) and SassaLelll (2006) boLh conLend LhaL Lhe
lncrease ln value glven Lo culLure wlLhln Lhe Lu rheLorlc ls a ploy Lo leglLlmlse Lhe Lu.
SassaLelll (2006: 31) crlLlques Lhls noLlon of "unlLy ln dlverslLy" as belng conLradlcLory as
lL, on one hand, alms for homogenlsaLlon, and on Lhe oLher, seeks Lo embrace
dlfferences - 'excludlng Lhe posslblllLy of confllcL, and raLher applylng a Lop-down,
cenLrallslng approach'. Seslc and urago[ecvlc (2006: 33) crlLlclse Lhe Lu's culLural
pollcles as ones LhaL are "consLrucLed communlLy-drlven", based on sLereoLypes,
xenophobla and naLlonal megalomanla'. Accordlngly, culLural dlscourse musL be soclally
aware aL Lhe supranaLlonal level - wlLhln Lhe Lu - before lnLerculLural dlalogue can be
successfully lmplemenLed aL Lhe local level.
<&(*560+(05#+ 1%#+3'0*
lL ls lmporLanL Lo Lake lnLo accounL Lhe llLeraLure on Lu culLure pollcymaklng, as
Lhe laLLer ls a caLalysL ln Lhe successful lmplemenLaLlon of pro[ecLs of an lnLerculLural
naLure. 1hls secLlon lnvesLlgaLes Lhe promlnence of lnLerculLural dlalogue wlLhln
pollcymaklng and dlscusses lLs llmlLaLlons ln Lerms of lLs deflnlLlonal amblgulLy and
lnsLrumenLallsaLlon on Lhe pracLlcal level.
Ldward 1. Pall (1937 clLed ln neullep, 2011: 23) ls clalmed Lo be Lhe founder of
lnLerculLural communlcaLlon sLudles, whlch ls Lhe sLudy of lnLeracLlon beLween people

20

from dlfferenL culLures. L.1. Pall (1937) sLaLes LhaL 'people are unaware of Lhelr culLural
ways of llvlng' as he lnvesLlgaLes Lhe way 'nonverbal channels of Llme, space and body
language' affecL one's communlcaLlon processes (clLed ln neullep, 2011: 23). 1he scholar
noLably brlngs forLh Lhe lmporLance of lnLerculLural compeLences - one of Lhem belng
"mlndfulness" - as essenLlal for successful lnLerculLural communlcaLlon. WhaL ls deflned
as "mlndfulness", or lnLerchangeably "awareness", and Lhe developmenL of lnLerculLural
compeLences ls requlred Lo engage ln effecLlve lnLerculLural communlcaLlon (neullep,
2011: 332).
lnLerculLural dlalogue osclllaLes beLween many worklng deflnlLlons. Canesh and
Polmes (2011: 83) crlLlclse Lhe Lu's deflnlLlon of lnLerculLural dlalogue as "lndlsLlncL"
and amblguous". Cn Lhe oLher hand, Canesh and Polmes (2011: 84) also recognlse LhaL
Lhe amblgulLy of Lhe concepL allows for 'creaLlvlLy, lnvesLlgaLlon, crlLlque and lnslghL'
wlLhln Lhe academlc fleld. Moreover, Lhe 2007 Luropean 8aromeLer lnLerculLural
ulalogue ln Lurope flnds LhaL 'a large mlnorlLy namely 36 could noL aLLrlbuLe any
parLlcular meanlng' (vldmar-PovarL, 2012: 36) Lo whaL lnLerculLural dlalogue means.
Accordlngly, Lhe creaLlve and culLural lndusLrles have also been sub[ecLed Lo varlous
deflnlLlonal lnLerpreLaLlons, whlch sLlll Loday ralses debaLes abouL Lhe consequences of
such amblgulLy ln Lerms of lneffecLlve measuremenLs and blased culLural pollcles.
As scholars clalm LhaL pollcymaklng on lnLerculLural dlalogue has been growlng
aL 'an excepLlonal raLe' (Aman, 2012: 1012), publlshed documenLs are expllclLly maklng
noLe of lLs lmporLance for soclal coheslon. 1haL lnLerculLural dlalogue should be parL of
Lhe mandaLe of culLural organlsaLlons ls caLegorlcal ln Lhe Lu culLural pollcy acL and

21

exempllfled ln Lhe creaLlon of Lhe 2008 'Luropean ?ear of lnLerculLural ulalogue', solely
dedlcaLed for Lhls purpose (Lu, 2012). 1he Councll of Lurope (2008: 16) conflrms LhaL
lnLerculLural dlalogue ls "a ma[or Lool" Lo manage dlverslLy, 'wlLhouL whlch, lL wlll be
dlfflculL Lo safeguard Lhe freedom and well-belng of everyone llvlng on our conLlnenL'.
Accordlngly, karaca (2010: 122) pralses lnLerculLural dlalogue as "Lhe only realm"
ln whlch soclal lssues such as lmmlgraLlon can be Lackled. lnLerculLural dlalogue ls
helpful because lL exceeJs Lhe Lolerance of Lhe oLher and Lranscends Lhe need for
consensus, allowlng Lhe posslblllLy for confllcL (Canesh and Polmes, 2011: 81). Powever,
ofLen deflned ln Lerms of "Lolerance", lnLerculLural dlalogue, llke mulLlculLurallsm, can
cloak lnequallLles (8rown, 2008), whlch wlll be dlscussed ln Lhe followlng.
=()&36*&(5%/8 #&1 ,3@*5
LssenLlally, eLhnocenLrlsm ls based on Lhe ldea LhaL our polnL of reference ln
evaluaLlng oLher culLures sLems from our naLlve culLure and LhaL our own culLure ls
deemed mosL valuable (neullep, 2011). Sald (1978: 11) explalns our lnherenL blas when
he sLaLes LhaL, 'no producLlon of knowledge ln Lhe human sclences can ever lgnore or
dlsclalm lLs auLhor's lnvolvemenL as a human sub[ecL ln hls own clrcumsLances'. Pall
(1993) and 8habha (1994) conLrlbuLe Lo Lhls essenLlallsL deflnlLlon of eLhnocenLrlsm as
Lhey clalm LhaL lL ls "a problem of onLology". More speclflcally, neullep (2011: 23)
deflnes eLhnocenLrlsm as Lhe 'preferred and accepLed sLandards by whlch one should
conducL hls or her llfe', wlLh regards Lo parLlcular LradlLlons, values and cusLoms. 1hls, ln
Lurn, lnfluences one's worldvlew of oLher culLures. Acknowledglng LhaL eLhnocenLrlsm

22

ls, accordlng Lo some LheorlsLs, lnnaLe ln each and every one of us demands for a
reflexlve approach ln Lhe way we lnLeracL wlLh one anoLher.
LLhnocenLrlsm clashes wlLh Lhe premlse of lnLerculLural dlalogue, as lnLeracLlons
can never be equal, conslderlng LhaL Lhese "LradlLlons, values, and cusLoms" LhaL one
lnherlLs ls cenLral Lo a glven culLure. 1he concepL of eLhnocenLrlsm also clashes wlLh Lhe
Lu ldeal of Lhe "global clLlzen" whom shares a "common culLure, wlLh common values"
(Lu, 2012, Aman, 2012: 1011). Moreover, Lhe promlnence of Lhe Lerm "LurocenLrlsm" ln
academlc papers lmplles Lhe general consensus of Lurope's percelved superlorlLy wlLh
regards Lo oLher culLures. lf lnLerculLural dlalogue ls abouL aLLempLlng Lo undersLand Lhe
oLher's worldvlew, Lhen lL musL begln wlLh accepLlng Lhe oLher, and Lo whaL exLenL can
power dlfferenLlals go unrecognlzed when one's culLure ls lnherenLly superlor Lo
anoLher's?
vadmlr-PovarL (2012: 41) rlghLfully asks: does lnLerculLural dlalogue allow for
Lhe lncluslon of oLhers, or ls lL bound Lo relLeraLe excluslonary pracLlces? Aman (2012:
1011) also quesLlons Lhe power dlfferenLlals of lnLerculLural dlalogue as he explalns LhaL
a 'unlfled ldenLlLy cannoL be lncluslonary wlLhouL belng excluslonary'. WlLhln Lhls
conLexL, Lhe ouLslders are Lhose LhaL are noL parL of Lhe Lu, Lhus excluded from Lu
pro[ecLs, lncludlng Lhose of an lnLerculLural dlalogue naLure. Canesh and Polmes (2011:
83) recognlse LhaL, 'Lhemes of lncluslon, openness and represenLaLlon can creaLe
assumpLlons of equallLy LhaL obscure exlsLlng dlscrlmlnaLory relaLlonshlps'.
vadmlr-PovarL (2012: 41) noLes LhaL Lhe cenLral lssue of lnLerculLural dlalogue
wlLhln Lhe Lu ls lLs dlsmlssal ln acknowledglng LhaL ldenLlLles are fracLured, and LhaL

23

lnLerculLural dlalogue acLs more llke an "ldeologlcal vehlcle" raLher Lhan a pracLlcal
soluLlon. Aman (2012: 1018) ls also crlLlcal of lnLerculLural dlalogue's success as he
sLaLes LhaL 'lnLerculLural dlalogue ls a resource Lo neuLrallse docLrlnes confllcLlng wlLh
'Luropean values'. Accordlngly, lnLerculLural dlalogue ls hlghly valued from Lhe Lu
pollcymaklng polnL of vlew, yeL academlcs quesLlon Lhe success of lLs lmplemenLaLlon
beyond lLs dlscourse on a supranaLlonal level.
")* #5(%/(E/ 53+*
1he sLraLlfled power relaLlons found ln rheLorlcal pollcymaklng can be
exempllfled when lnvesLlgaLlng Lhe role of Lhe arLs ln lnLerculLural dlalogue. lL has been
argued LhaL Lhe arLs are lnsLrumenLallsed from a pollLlcal perspecLlve Lo aLLend Lo soclo-
economlc goals LhaL exceed Lhelr purpose. 1he debaLe beLween excellence vs. access ln
Lhe creaLlve and culLural lndusLrles can be relLeraLed ln Lhe conLexL of lnLerculLural
dlalogue. Accordlngly, karaca (2010) deflnes Lhls lnsLrumenLallsaLlon Lowards eLhnlc
mlnorlLles as she argues:
AL Lhe lnsLlLuLlonal level of culLural pollcy, lL ls lmpllclLly presumed LhaL non-'whlLe'
lmmlgranLs wlll, above all, engage ln culLural or arLlsLlc pro[ecLs whlch are Lled Lo
Lhe noLlon of eLhnlc and soclal ldenLlLles and do noL quallfy as "serlous" culLural
conLrlbuLlons of arLlsLlc value (karaca, 2010: 14).

ln Lhls way, lmmlgranL groups are undersLood as dlsLlncL groups whose
'dlfference' ls means enLalls LhaL culLural producLlon sLlll remalns prlmarlly Lled Lo soclo-
pollLlcal goals' (klwan and kosnlc, 2006: 110). ln Lhls way, lL ls also dlfflculL Lo assess
wheLher arLlsLs' works are lnLrlnslcally or exLrlnslcally moLlvaLed as culLure 'ls expecLed
Lo be sLaLemenLs abouL culLural dlfferences and CLherness' (klwan and kosnlc, 2006:
123).

24

1he auLhors argue for 'new forms of culLural expresslon LhaL Lranscend Lhe
boundarles of Lhe naLlonal or Lhe eLhnlc and creaLe new Lypes of arLlsLlc
expresslon, new culLural and commerclal neLworks for arL producLs and evenLually
new reallLles of culLural dlverslLy and cosmopollLanlsm' (klwan and kosnlck, 2006:
123).

1o whaL exLenL musL Lhese culLural organlsaLlons have Lo deal wlLh oLherness,
whllsL malnLalnlng Lhelr arLlsLlc leglLlmacy? lL has also been crlLlclsed LhaL flnanclal
supporL ls aL Llmes provlded noL ln regards Lo an arLlsL's work, buL raLher how Lhe
arLlsL's work conLrlbuLes Lo soclal maLLers (karaca, 2010).
Cn Lhe oLher hand, lnLerculLural Lurope sLaLes LhaL organlsaLlons need Lo
lmplemenL Lhe culLural pollcles ln regards Lo lnLerculLural dlalogue 'as an lnsLrumenL for
'peace and confllcL prevenLlon' (2010: 7). 1hus, for lnLerculLurallsm" Lo become Lhe
norm, culLural lnsLlLuLlons need Lo change (Lu, 2012), and manage Lhe arLlsLs leglLlmacy
whllsL also aLLendlng Lo evenLs of a soclal naLure. 1hese confllcLlng vlews make lL
dlfflculL Lo assess Lhe llmlLs Lo whlch lnLerculLural dlalogue prlorlLlses soclal lssues over
Lhe arLlsL's lnLrlnslc moLlves.
>*()313+3'2 #&1 45#8*@35$
AlLhough Lhe presence of lnLerculLural dlalogue ln pollcymaklng 'has been
growlng aL an excepLlonal raLe' (Aman, 2012, 1010), Lhere ls a slgnlflcanL lack ln
academlc research on Lhe Loplc (Canesh and Polmes, 2011). 1he purpose of Lhls
dlsserLaLlon ls Lo conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe exlsLlng academlc research on lnLerculLural dlalogue
by explorlng Lwo case sLudles: Lhe 8omanlan CulLural lnsLlLuLe London (8Cl) and Lhe
8omanlan CulLural CenLer (8CC). 1hls analysls examlnes how Lhe 8Cl and 8CC address

23

oLherness and alms Lo dlscover Lhe facLors LhaL enable and consLraln lnLerculLural
dlalogue pro[ecLs wlLhln Lhelr agenda.
ln conslderlng LhaL parLlcular meLhods are approprlaLe ln answerlng parLlcular
quesLlons, Lhls analysls used boLh quallLaLlve and quanLlLaLlve research approaches Lo
provlde a hollsLlc accounL of boLh case sLudles, and ln so dolng dlsregards Lhe 'paradlgm
war' beLween boLh meLhodologles (Cakley, 1999). More speclflcally, Lhls sLudy was
supporLed by quallLaLlve ln-depLh lnLervlews, documenLed sources, and a shorL conLenL
analysls of pasL culLural evenLs conducLed aL Lhe 8Cl and 8CC.
J0#+%(#(%G* #&#+2/%/
arLlclpanLs agreed Lo be fully ldenLlfled and Lhe purpose of Lhe lnLervlews was
Lo ellclL vlews from Lhe parLlclpanLs ln relaLlon Lo Lhelr undersLandlng of Lhe 8omanlan
ldenLlLy and how can Lhls ldenLlLy be shaped wlLhln Lhelr respecLlve culLural
organlsaLlon or fleld of work. ln-depLh, seml-sLrucLured quallLaLlve lnLervlews were
conducLed wlLh depuLy dlrecLor Magda SLroe from 8Cl, pro[ecL manager Carmen
Campeanu from 8CC, as well as pollLlcal and soclal acLlvlsL for Lhe 8omanlan dlaspora's
rlghLs ln London, aul Suclu.
My maln scope from Lhese lnLervlews was Lo grasp a beLLer undersLandlng of Lhe
lmaglnaLlon of pro[ecLs ln relaLlon Lo ldenLlLy, and Lhe facLors LhaL consLraln and enable
lnLerculLural dlalogue ln Lhe plannlng of evenLs. 1he lnLervlew wlLh Suclu on Lhe oLher
hand was useful ln galnlng an ouLslder's perspecLlve on how lnLerculLural dlalogue can
be addressed ln more pragmaLlc ways, glven hls reacLlonary lmpllcaLlon ln flghLlng
agalnsL Lhe dlscrlmlnaLlon of 8omanlans ln uk.

26

lollowlng Lhe verbaLlm LranscrlpLlon of lnLervlews, a LhemaLlc analyLlc meLhod
was conducLed from an lnducLlve approach, ln whlch common Lhemes and paLLerns
were ldenLlfled wlLhln Lhe daLa collecLed. Accordlngly, several Lhemes were found from
Lhe lnLervlews, and also relaLed Lo Lhe llLeraLure revlew. 1hese flndlngs conLrlbuLed Lo
Lhe analysls dedlcaLed Lo my second research quesLlon lnvesLlgaLlng Lhe llmlLaLlons ln
Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of lnLerculLural dlalogue wlLhln Lhe 8Cl and 8CC.
J0#&(%(#(%G* #&#+2/%/
CuanLlLaLlve daLa was acqulred uslng conLenL analysls Lo measure Lhe frequency
and Lype of lnLerculLural dlalogue evenLs conducLed aL boLh Lhe 8Cl and 8CC. 1hls
sLaLlsLlcal daLa was helpful ln comparlng and conLrasLlng Lhe organlsaLlons Lo uncover
Lhe Lypes of lnLerculLural dlalogue pro[ecLs Lhey creaLe. 1he quanLlLaLlve daLa was
cruclal ln provldlng an ob[ecLlve approach, Lhus conLrlbuLlng Lo Lhe quallLaLlve daLa
acqulred form Lhe lnLervlews.
ConLenL analysls ls an ob[ecLlve and sysLemaLlc analysls (8ryman, 2012). 1hls
meLhod was conducLed ln response Lo my flrsL research quesLlon, whlch lnvesLlgaLes Lhe
exLenL Lo whlch Lhe 8CC and 8Cl address Lhe lssue of oLherness. CaLegorles were
deLermlned beforehand, and frequency was deducLed by Lhe evenLs organlsed aL boLh
Lhe 8Cl and 8CC from Lhe perlod of !une 2013 Lo !une 2014. 1hls meLhod ls flLLlng ln
Lerms of supporLlng Lhe hypoLhesls LhaL culLural organlsaLlons conducL evenLs LhaL are
by deflnlLlon consldered lnLerculLural dlalogue, yeL fall Lo address senslLlve Loplcs LhaL
may be beneflclal ln medlaLlng eLhnlc confllcLs.


27

9%8%(#(%3&/ #&1 G#+%1%(2
lL ls lmporLanL Lo conslder Lhe researcher's role ln conducLlng quallLaLlve analysls
(llnlay, 2002). l am Canadlan of 8omanlan orlgln and as Lhe focus of my research was on
8omanlan lmmlgranLs ln London, l undersLand LhaL a reflexlve approach was necessary
ln llmlLlng Lhe blas of my research. When speaklng for a mlnorlLy, Lhe 'non-oLher'
researcher lnevlLably has a superlor poslLlon ln relaLlon Lo lLs parLlclpanLs (Alcoff, 1991).
My complex background was useful ln Lhe ablllLy Lo relaLe Lo boLh Lhe 8omanlan
mlnorlLy whllsL provldlng an ob[ecLlve approach Lo Lhe problemaLlc. 1o furLher ensure
Lhe valldlLy of my quallLaLlve analysls, l have used mulLlple daLa Lo supporL my research
(Creswell, 2009).
1he quallLaLlve analysls was carrled ouL from an lnducLlve approach, whlch ls
useful ln Lerms of llmlLlng Lhe blas of Lhe researcher ln manlpulaLlng Lhe flndlngs (8raun
and Clarke, 2006). 1haL belng sald, 8raun and Clarke (2006) also noLe LhaL lL ls lmporLanL
Lo acknowledge Lhe researcher's role ln Lhe search for Lhemes, regardless of Lhe way
Lhey may have 'emerged' from Lhe collecLed daLa. 1he conLenL analysls allowed for a
represenLaLlve hard daLa" Lo conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe sofL daLa" acqulred from Lhe
lnLervlews, and ln so dolng lncreased Lhe valldlLy of Lhe analysls.
lL was assumed LhaL access Lo lnLervlewees would be slmple glven my culLural
background and Lhe currency and naLure of Lhe pro[ecL. Access Lo Lhe lC8 requlred
negoLlaLlon preclsely because Lhe organlsaLlon was relucLanL Lo dlscusslng Lhe
someLlmes negaLlve uk rheLorlc abouL 8omanlan lmmlgranLs. Moreover, Lo undersLand
lnLerculLural dlalogue's place ln culLural dlplomacy, an e-mall lnLervlew was secured

28

wlLh Lhe 8omanlan Ambassador ln London, yeL Lhe laLLer falled Lo reply Lo my lasL
aLLempL of conLacL. l have fllled Lhls gap wlLh documenLed resources on Lu culLural
pollcles of lnLerculLural dlalogue. 8oLh 8CC and 8Cl lnLervlews were conducLed ln Lhelr
operaLlng venues, whllsL Lhe lnLervlew wlLh Lhe acLlvlsL Suclu Look place ouLdoors.
All lnLervlews were lead ln 8omanlan and LranslaLed for Lhe LranscrlpLs and
analysls. As language affecLs one's culLural worldvlew (neullep, 2011), conducLlng Lhe
lnLervlews ln 8omanlan allowed for bondlng beLween Lhe researcher and parLlclpanLs.
Acknowledglng LhaL my analysls of Lhe culLural organlsaLlons was of a crlLlcal and
senslLlve naLure, well-Lallored quesLlons ln relaLlon Lo Lhe lmmlgraLlon problemaLlc was
cruclal ln conducLlng Lhe lnLervlews. AlLhough Lhe research approaches chosen were
sulLable ln answerlng my quesLlons, boLh surveys of aLLendees' perspecLlves on Lhe
evenL, as well as an eLhnographlc approach would have been very helpful ln galnlng a
wlder perspecLlve on Lhe ouLcomes of parLlclpaLlon ln lnLerculLural dlalogue evenLs.
?%&1%&'/K .&#+2/%/ #&1 L%/60//%3&
ln Lhe conLexL of globallsaLlon, Lhe Lu cauLlons LhaL culLural lnsLlLuLlons musL
'deeply revlse Lhelr operaLlons and vlslon, so as Lo address Lhe needs of a socleLy LhaL ls
culLurally more dlverse Lhan Lhe one Lhey were esLabllshed for' (Lu, 2014: 6). Moreover,
(Seslc, urago[ecvlc, 2006: 32) clalm LhaL lnLerculLural communlcaLlon [see dlalogue] and
medlaLlon ls a genulne responslblllLy of Lhe publlc secLor'.
Clven Lhe sald roles of culLural organlsaLlons as framed by Lhe mosL recenL Lu
pollcy documenL as well as culLural academlcs, lL ls Lherefore flLLlng Lo lnvesLlgaLe Lhe
confllcL-medlaLlon role of Lhe 8omanlan CulLural lnsLlLuLe (8Cl) and 8omanlan CulLural

29

CenLer (8CC) ln London. 1hls secLlon compares and conLrasLs Lhe 8Cl and 8CC,
acknowledglng Lhe lnLernal sLrucLural dlfferences, as Lhe 8CC ls a prlvaLe organlsaLlon,
whllsL Lhe 8Cl ls governmenL-funded.
;#/* /(01%*/

1he 7;; ls a small, non-pollLlcal organlzaLlon founded ln 1994 almlng 'Lo promoLe
8omanlan culLural programs, malnLaln connecLlons wlLhln Lhe 8omanlan communlLy
ln 8rlLaln and faclllLaLe culLural exchanges beLween 8rlLaln and 8omanla' (8CC, 2014).

1he 7;< ls parL of a global neLwork of culLural lnsLlLuLes and acLs as 'a dlplomaLlc
mlsslon, culLural managemenL unlL, arLlsLlc and 8 agency as well as a cenLer for
research and documenLaLlon. lL devoLes equal energy Lo lnlLlaLlves abouL 8rlLaln for
8omanlans and collaboraLes wlLh 8omanlans ln Lhe uk on communlLy pro[ecLs' (8Cl,
2014).

A3@ 13*/ ()* 7;< #&1 7;; #115*// 3()*5&*//B
<1*&(%(2- M#/(K ,5*/*&(K 40(05*
'ldenLlLles are Lhe names we glve Lo Lhe dlfferenL ways we are poslLloned by, and
poslLlon ourselves wlLhln Lhe narraLlves of Lhe pasL' (Pall, 1993: 223, 8habha, 1994). ln
Lhls way, Lhe 8omanlan ldenLlLy Loday can only be undersLood by lLs pasL. AfLer Lhe fall
of communlsm ln 1989, 8omanla was Lasked wlLh re-lnvenLlng lLs ldenLlLy, whlch ls sLlll
Loday conLesLed. ln Andreea arls' arLlcle 'negoLlaLlng Lhe 8omanlan CuesL for CulLural
ldenLlLy afLer 1989', Lhe scholar Lakes a posL-colonlal approach Lo lnvesLlgaLe Lhe
consLrucLlon of 8omanlan ldenLlLles. WlLhln Lhe conLexL of Lhe uSS8's ldeologlcal and
culLural oppresslon on LasLern Luropean counLrles, 8omanlans were under colonlsaLlon,
sub[ecLed Lo Lhe domlnanL dlscourse (arls, 2014).

30

arls (2014: 272) descrlbes Lhe 8omanlan ldenLlLy as one LhaL sLruggles wlLh 'a
seemlngly endless perlod of LranslLlon, of ln beLweenness wlLh respecL Lo a posslble
WesLern fuLure and lLs communlsL pasL'. ln Lhls way, 8omanla flnds lLself embezzled
beLween Lwo ldeologlcal frameworks LhaL have culLurally and pollLlcally enLrapped lLs
lmage ln "colonlal oLherness" (arls, 2014: 273).
1hls crlsls of ldenLlLy" (arls, 2014: 276) explalns lLself ln Lhe way 8omanla's
searches for auLhenLlclLy, yeL flnds lLself enLrapped ln mlmlcry by lmlLaLlng lLs former
colonlsers (arls, 2014: 276). lL can be argued LhaL 8habha's Lheory of Lhe 1hlrd Space'"
from whlch culLural hybrldlLy emerges ls where 8omanla currenLly sLands ln search for
lLs ldenLlLy. 1hls paper assumes LhaL Lhe 8Cl and 8CC slLuaLe Lhls 1hlrd Space", where
Lhe 8omanlan dlaspora can shape Lhelr ldenLlLles Lhrough Lhe arLs, 'where ln Lhls space,
we emerge as Lhe oLhers of our selves' (8habha, 1994: 36).
When asked how culLural acLlvlLles aL Lhe 8Cl enable Lhe 8omanlan dlaspora Lo
consLrucL lLs ldenLlLy, uepuLy ulrecLor of Lhe lC8 Magda SLroe responds:
lrom Lhe arLlsLlc polnL of vlew, ldenLlLles are noL loglc - Lhey are always ln search,
and Lhls search of ldenLlLy ls an arLlsLlc acL ln lLself. 8y engaglng wlLh culLural
producLs and culLural creaLlons, one Lrles Lo flnd Lhelr ldenLlLy - be lL Lhe
[8omanlan] arLlsL, or Lhe audlence. 1hls ls also an arLlsLlc acL ln lLself (lnLervlew,
2014).

8CC ro[ecL Manager Carmean Campeanu responds ln a more pragmaLlc way:
All Lhe efforL should be puL lnLo developlng Lhelr own personallLles, Lrylng Lo
conflgure Lhls posL-communlsL 8omanlan ldenLlLy so efforLs ln 8omanla should be
puL Lowards someLhlng dlfferenL, and efforLs ln London shuL be puL Lowards
sLarLlng a dlalogue and Lrylng Lo brldge Lhe Lwo culLures [8omanlan and 8rlLannlc]
Lhrough varlous culLural pro[ecLs' (lnLervlew, 2014).


31

ln Lhls way, Lhe arLs can provlde 8omanlans a means Lo undersLand Lhelr pasL
and creaLe Lhelr presenL. klossev (2003) presenLs a less poslLlve ouLlook on 8omanla's
ldenLlLy as Lhe academlc sLaLes LhaL lLs dark self-lmage" and lnferlorlLy complex" has
led Lo self-colonlsaLlon (clLed ln arls, 2014: 277). neullep (2011) argues LhaL we have a
responslblllLy Lo undersLand our own culLure before we aLLempL Lo undersLand
anoLher's. 1hls raLher negaLlve lmage 8omanla ls assumed Lo have consequenLly affecLs
Lhe people's ablllLy Lo lnLeracL wlLh oLhers.
Soclal and pollLlcal acLlvlsL for Lhe 8omanlan dlaspora's rlghLs aul Suclu
resonaLes wlLh boLh klossev (2003) and neullep (2011) when he sLaLes, 'a loL of
8omanlans Lhlnk of Lhemselves as lnferlor' and LhaL 'we [8omanlans] musL assume LhaL
Lhe 8omanlan ldenLlLy comes wlLh some responslblllLles. [1hls enLalls] responslblllLles of
undersLandlng Lhls ldenLlLy and wanLlng Lo change someLhlng' (lnLervlew, 2014). ln Lhls
way, Lhe 8Cl and 8CC can Lake Lhe form of Lhese 1hlrd Spaces" (8habha, 1994) Lo caLer
Lo 8omanla's fragmenLed ldenLlLy, ln so dolng allowlng for Lhe conLesLaLlon and creaLlon
of one LhaL ls hopefully whole".
IG*5638%&' ()* 4*#5 34 ()* 3()*5
As means of addresslng oLherness wlLhln Lhe 8Cl and 8CC's acLlvlLles, lL ls
lmporLanL Lo conslder Lhe way Lhese culLural organlsaLlons challenge long-held
sLereoLypes abouL 8omanlans and 8omanla. 8oLh Lhe 8Cl and 8CC funcLlon as a press
offlce, and Lhus lL ls ln Lhelr duLy Lo respond Lo ouLslde enqulrles and manage Lhe lmage
of Lhe 8omanlan dlaspora ln London. Campeanu recalls Lhe perlod of 2013-2014 as one
LhaL was hecLlc for Lhe organlsaLlon because of Lhe prollferaLlon of negaLlve medla

32

abouL 8omanlan mlgranLs by some uk medla. Campeanu noLes, 'from my experlence
and whaL l heard from oLher [ournallsLs, when someLhlng 8omanla-relaLed happens ln
Lhe uk, Lhey Lry Lo approach 8omanlan lnsLlLuLlons and Lhe Lmbassy' (lnLervlew, 2014).
1he pro[ecL manager explalns Lhe 8CC's approach Lo Lhe lssue:
We are open Lo everyone. We spoke dlrecLly Lo maybe abouL 100 [ournallsLs ln Lhe
pasL 16 monLhs such as 88C and 1he Sun. We've been Lrylng Lo open a dlalogue, Lo
lnvlLe people Lo have a look aL 8omanla from Lhe 8omanla LhaL we are Lrylng Lo
presenL and meeL people we know and meeL Lhe 8omanlans ln 8omanla
(lnLervlew, 2014).

When asked lf Lhe 8CC lnlLlaLed Lhe conversaLlon wlLh [ournallsLs, Campeanu
replles, 'Lhey were Lhe ones calllng us. 8uL someLlmes, we would call Lhem as well, when
we would see a horrlble arLlcle or horrlble news reporL, we would approach Lhem'
(lnLervlew, 2014). van ul[k (2012) problemaLlses Lhe mlld raclsm:
1he more modern, subLle and lndlrecL forms of eLhnlc or raclal lnequallLy, and
especlally Lhe raclsm or raLher eLhnlclsm based on consLrucLlons of culLural
dlfference and lncompaLlblllLy, ls seldom characLerlzed as raclsm buL aL mosL
xenophobla and more ofLen Lhan noL as leglLlmaLe culLural self-defense (2012: 93)

Campeanu rlghLfully argues, 'buL when you have mlld raclsm or mlld haLred
Lowards lmmlgraLlon, lL's very hard Lo sue someone from LhaL, lL's very nuanced'
(lnLervlew, 2014). Whlle Lhe 8CC proacLlvely engaged wlLh Lhe medla Lo sLarL a dlalogue,
Lhe 8Cl on Lhe oLher hand were relucLanL ln sLarLlng a conversaLlon or even respondlng
Lo Lhlrd parLles requesLs. 1hls can be furLher exempllfled by Lhe dlfflculLy encounLered
Lo conLacL Lhe 8Cl as sLaLed ln Lhe meLhodology secLlon.
SLroe explalns Lhelr relucLance when she sLaLes, 'we LhoughL LhaL everyLhlng LhaL
means publlc poslLlon ln relaLlon Lo Lhese arLlcles should be conducLed by Lhe Lmbassy.
As a culLural lnsLlLuLe, lL ls noL opporLune or efflclenL Lo brlng work LhaL ls pollLlcally

33

senslble, soclal' (lnLervlew, 2014). Clven Lhe 8Cl acLs as an arLlsL and 8 offlce" as llsLed
on lLs webslLe, lL ls dlfflculL Lo undersLand Lhelr role ln managlng Lhe dlaspora's lmage
repuLaLlon by omlLLlng Lo respond Lo dlalogue lnlLlaLed by Lhlrd parLles.
;)#++*&'%&' ,*56*,(%3&/
As lLeraLed ln Lhe lnLroducLlon, 8omanla's faces a negaLlve lmage repuLaLlon noL
only ln Lhe uk buL ln Lurope as well. Suclu deflnes 8omanla's problemaLlc lmage as a
resulL of Lhe 8oma problem, Lhe poorness, and more speclflcally 8omanlans ln Lhe uk
noL adherlng Lo Lngllsh values (lnLervlew, 2014). Suclu furLher sLaLes, '1he Lngllsh - you
can'L sell Lhem Lhe 8omanlan culLure, you have Lo sell Lhem values, lf you don'L glve
Lhem values Lhen whaL do we Lalk abouL Lhen?' (lnLervlew, 2014) When asked how Lhelr
respecLlve culLural evenLs challenge Lhe uk's someLlmes negaLlve percepLlon abouL
8omanlan lmmlgranLs, Campeanu responds:
Cur alm ls noL Lo change someone's perspecLlve abouL lmmlgraLlon or 8omanla, lL
ls Lo stott o Jloloqoe' (my emphasls). 8CC [usL wanLs Lo make Lhem curlous. LasL
year we commlssloned a documenLary abouL 8omanlan nlghL workers ln London -
noL only showlng good parLs of 8omanlans or Lhe 8omanlan dlaspora here buL lL
was a really good and necessary dlscusslon and a dlalogue sLarLed (lnLervlew,
2014).

Cn Lhe oLher hand, SLroe argues LhaL lL ls Lhrough Lhe 8Cl's arLlsLs LhaL lL aLLempLs Lo
break sLereoLypes when she sLaLes:
8ecause people who knew noLhlng abouL 8omanla come and dlscover a new
culLure: our muslc and LradlLlons - or people LhaL had a cerLaln percepLlon of
8omanla, ah! lL ls poor counLry from Lhe LasL of Lurope, and comlng here Lhey see
our arLlsLs.(lnLervlew, 2014).

1hus, boLh Lhe 8Cl and 8CC address oLherness Lhrough arLs and culLure ln dlfferenL
ways: Lhe former by deplcLlng Lhe reallLles of Lhe 8omanlan mlgranL, Lhe laLLer by

34

showcaslng Lhe LalenLed. AlLhough Lhese quoLes serve as examples, Lhls generallsaLlon
can be lnferred glven Lhe resulLs generaLed from Lhe conLenL analysls, whlch wlll be
presenLed below.
ln order Lo challenge percepLlons, lL ls cruclal Lo lnvesLlgaLe whlch culLural
pracLlces are mosL effecLlve. AnLhropologlsL Cllfford CeerLz (n.d. clLed ln 8habha, 1994:
84) percelves undersLandlng Lhe oLher as 'more llke grasplng a proverb, caLchlng an
llluslon, seelng a [oke Lhan lL ls llke achlevlng communlon'. 1hls llghLhearLed approach Lo
maklng sense of Lhe oLher unvells Lhe humanlLy of lL all - Lhe way ln whlch we reunlLe
Lhrough 'Lhe baslc values of belng a human belng' (8habha, 1994: 84).
lllusLraLlve of Lhls llne of LhoughL ls Lhe 8CC's 'Zlcale !8omanlan Saylngs' phoLo
exhlblLlon (llg.1: Appendlx A) of 8omanlan proverbs. CuesLs were palred wlLh a member
of Lhe 8omanlan communlLy and lnvlLed Lo make an lnference on Lhe meanlng of Lhe
proverb ln quesLlon, drawlng Lhelr own culLural background. 1hls cheerful evenL reflecLs
CeerLz' proposlLlon of lnLeracLlng wlLh Lhe oLher Lhrough our slmllarlLles raLher Lhan
focuslng on our dlfferences.
AnoLher lnLeresLlng example led by Lhe 8CC ln hopes of challenglng sLereoLypes
ls lLs mosL recenL evenL enLlLled form 'exLra' Lo 'Crdlnary', whlch showcases Lhe dally
llves of 8omanlan 8oma ln Lhe uk. A recenL reporL on Lhe represenLaLlon of 8omanlans
and 8ulgarlans ln uk medla reflecLs on LhaL of Lhe 8oma as well, and has found LhaL
words Lo descrlbe Lhe 8oma or Cypsles were ofLen relaLed Lo 'elLher crlme and
anLlsoclal behavlour, persecuLlon or seLLlemenL' (MlgraLlon CbservaLory, 2014: 2).
Moreover, Lhe 8oma problem ls also a recurrlng dlscusslon wlLhln Lhe 8omanlan

33

communlLy as Campeanu sLaLes LhaL 'Lhere ls a Lendency for 8omanlans Lo make a
dlsLlncLlon beLween 8oma and 8omanlans ln a way LhaL ls dlscrlmlnaLlng Lhe 8oma . 1hls
ls a Lhlng LhaL we felL Lhe need Lo address' (lnLervlew, 2014). ln Lhls way, Lhe 8CC
declded Lo spread awareness abouL Lhe 8oma problem, ln conLrasL Lo Lhe 8Cl's
relucLance Lo address Loplcs of a senslLlve naLure.
Campeanu conslders Lhe reflexlve approach enLalled ln lmaglnlng lnLerculLural
dlalogue evenLs as she conslders, 'Lhe whole ldea was noL Lo creaLe someLhlng yoo Lhlnk
resonaLes wlLh Lhe 8oma communlLy, buL Lo acLually brlng Lhem on 8oard (lnLervlew,
2014). Accordlngly, Lhe pro[ecL was concelved by 8rlLlsh academlcs, members of Lhe Lu
commlsslon and Lhe uk 8oma SupporL Croup. ln Llnda Alcoff's (1991) arLlcle '1he
problem of speaklng for CLhers', Lhe scholar quesLlons Lhe researcher's superlorlLy
when represenLlng mlnorlLles, and suggesLs LhaL raLher Lhan speaklng for Lhe oLher, we
should engage wlLh Lhe oLher. AlLhough Lhls pro[ecL does noL dlrecLly relaLe Lo Lhe
8omano-8rlLlsh relaLlon, lL does provlde lnslghL lnLo besL pracLlces for lnLerculLural
dlalogue ln Lerms of collecLlvely dlscusslng wlLh Lhe oLher ln order Lo correcLly represenL
Lhe oLher.
C)3/* ()*5*K @)3 6#5*/B
1he lnvolvemenL of lmmlgranLs ln local culLural llfe ls a fundamenLal Lool for
breaklng Lhe sense of excluslon, and may fosLer a sense of lnLegraLlon Lo Lhe
counLry of seLLlemenL. CulLure, and ln parLlcular lnLerculLural dlalogue, may acL as
vehlcles promoLlng culLural dlalogue, lncluslon and a vlslon of a mulLlculLural
socleLy (koslc and 1rlandafyllldou, 2006: 174).

Clven Lhe sald lmporLance of culLure for clLlzens Lo overcome oLherness, lL ls
lmporLanL Lo lnvesLlgaLe Lhe 8CC and 8Cl's wllllngness Lo lnclude Lhe dlaspora ln Lhelr

36

culLural acLlvlLles. As lnLerculLural dlalogue lnvolves an exchange beLween parLlclpanLs
(Lu, 2012), lL ls flLLlng Lo conslder Lhe culLural background of guesLs aLLendlng Lhe
evenLs ln quesLlon. AL Lhe 8Cl, lL was noLed LhaL Lhe audlence ls of roughly 60 8rlLlsh or
lnLernaLlonal and 40 8omanlan (SLroe, lnLervlew, 2014), whlle Lhe 8CC's publlc ls
roughly" made up of a 60 8omanlan audlence and 40 oLher (Campeanu, lnLervlew,
2014). 1he 8Cl clalms LhaL lLs goal ls Lo aLLracL a forelgn audlence, whllsL Lhe 8CC seeks
Lo caLer Lo boLh a forelgn audlence as well as Lhe 8omanlan dlaspora. 8oLh
represenLaLlves noLed LhaL audlence characLerlsLlcs ofLen depended on Lhe Lype of
culLural evenL presenLed.
As descrlbed ln Lhe llLeraLure revlew, a dlaspora's culLural parLlclpaLlon ls
someLlmes llmlLed and can Lake place aL a hlghly sLraLlfled level (koslc and
1rlandafyllldou, 2006). van-PovarL (2012) furLher crlLlques power relaLlons found ln
lnLerculLural dlalogue pro[ecLs when he sLaLes:
lL ls an ldeologlcal vehlcle for Lhe reproducLlon of a LurocenLrlc lmage of Lhe
Lolerance and openness of Lhe new Luropeans [and] shows llLLle deslre Lo seek
condlLlons, whlch would encourage domlnanL communlLles Lo search for sources
of empowermenL for Lhe deprlvlleged and dlspossessed as Lhe basls for enhanclng
soclal coheslon and solldarlLy. lL ls lll-equlpped Lo deal wlLh soclal change and Lhe
Lenslons Lrlggered by LuropeanlzaLlon and globallsaLlon' (van-PorvaL, 2012: 41).

uragulescu (2013: 9) descrlbes Lhe 8Cl's audlence as ellLe" and nlche", made
up of 'hlghly culLurally educaLed people, dlplomaLlc communlLles, or local dlgnlLarles'.
Accordlngly, as mosL of Lhe 8Cl's publlc ls somewhaL 'ellLlsL', lL ls raLher dlfflculL Lo reach
a wlder audlence, Lhus ralslng Lhe excellence vs. access debaLe (van-PovarL, 2012). As
Lhe 8Cl funcLlons as 8omanla's maln arm for culLural dlplomacy ln London (8Cl, 2014), lL
would be sulLable lf Lhe organlsaLlon also worked for Lhe beLLer lnLegraLlon of Lhe

37

8omanlan dlaspora ln London. 1hus, Lhe 8Cl's relucLance Lo lnclude 8omanlans from
dlfferenL soclo-economlc backgrounds relnforces Lhe already esLabllshed class relaLlons
and ln so dolng relLeraLes Lhe process of excluslon.
C)#( *&#:+*/ #&1 63&/(5#%&/ %&(*560+(05#+ 1%#+3'0*B
738#&%# %& ()* =H 4#8%+2
All 28 members of Lhe Lu musL ln some way adhere Lo Lhe Lu's ldeology, as
Lhey are now conflned Lo Lhe unlon's common rules, eLhlcs, and values. Accordlngly,
8omanla's condlLlonal accesslon Lo Lhe Lu ln 2007 brlngs forLh responslblllLles of
aLLendlng Lo culLure and lnLerculLural dlalogue pro[ecLs LhaL reflecL lLs newfound Lu
ldenLlLy. SLroe acknowledges Lhe 8Cl's aLLempLs Lo beLLer respond Lo Lhls lncluslon as
she sLaLes:
Cnce wlLh Lhe adherence of 8omanla ln Lhe Lu ln 2007, Lhe Luropean counLrles
were open Lo 8omanlan culLure and Lhe mode ln whlch Lhls can be vlewed as an
exotlc ploce (my emphasls). We noLlced ln Lhe flrsL years a larger openlng of Lhe
8omanlan culLure - as a culLure LhaL ls dlverse, a place where Lhe arLs and Lhe
culLure ln general, buL Lhe arLs ln parLlcular, are seen as a place of lnLeracLlon
beLween Lhe local publlc and 8omanlan arLlsLs LhaL come Lo presenL Lhelr work -
be lL vlsual creaLlons or performlng arLs. 8Cl Lhrough Lhls proposes dlverslLy ln Lhe
arLs, a balance and a dlalogue of Lhe 8omano-8rlLannlc lnLeracLlons (lnLervlew,
2014).

ln response Lo some of Lhe uk medla's labelllng of a "8omanlan lnvaslon" before
Lhe 2007 accesslon (SLroe, lnLervlew, 2014), Lhe 8Cl declded Lo frame Lhls as 'A
8omanlan coltotol lnvaslon'. 1he lnsLlLuLe Lhus aLLempLed Lo challenge percepLlons by
promoLlng lLs arLlsLs. SLroe adds, 'lL was a dlfflculL year, buL an lmporLanL one Lo show
LhaL a populaLlon can be known Lhrough lLs arLs, lLs muslc, lLs LradlLlonal culLure'
(lnLervlew, 2014).

38

SLroe also noLes LhaL 8omanla's lncluslon Lo Lhe Lu has sLrengLhened
relaLlonshlps wlLh Lu culLural programs, such as LunlC (2006), whlch ls a flnanclal
asslsLance body for neLworks wlLhln Lhe unlon. As sLaLed on lLs webslLe, LunlC's mlsslon
ls Lo 'promoLe Luropean values and Lo conLrlbuLe Lo culLural dlverslLy lnslde and ouLslde
of Lhe Lu [and] alms Lo sLrengLhen culLural dlalogue, exchange and susLalnable
cooperaLlon worldwlde' (LunlC, 2014).
LunlC's 2012 panel dlscusslon enLlLled 'CulLural ulplomacy ln a Changlng World:
Pow Lo 8espond Lo Lhe CurrenL Challenges' was held aL Lhe 8Cl London and reflecLed
upon Lhe neLwork's besL pracLlces and fuLure sLraLeglc plans. lL ls lnLeresLlng Lo noLe
LhaL durlng Lhe roundLable conference, 1urklsh rofessor 1unc Aybak sLaLes,
Cne of Lhe mosL lmporLanL challenges ahead ls Lhe culLural geo-pollLlcs of
lncluslon [.] Lhere are counLrles LhaL are sub[ecL Lo Lhls anxleLy of excluslon" noL
only as a resulL of Lhe economlc crlsls, buL also because of Lhe rheLorlc of popullsL
pollLlcs, do you have anyLhlng on your agenda do address Lhese lssues, Lo manage
Lhese, and Lo engage wlLh Lhese? (LunlC, 29.30, 2012)

LunlC resldenL uelphlne 8orlone-raLesl responds LhaL 'lL ls noL our role', and
LhaL Lhese challenges are culLurally addressed Lhrough Lhe noLlon of unlLy ln dlverslLy"
(LunlC, 2012). Accordlngly, Lhe LunlC example ls lllusLraLlve of Lhe crlLlques broughL
forLh by vldmar-PovarL (2012), karaca (2010) and SassaLelll (2006) abouL Lu culLural
lnlLlaLlves devlslng a rheLorlc, whlch lacks pragmaLlc valldlLy wlLhln Lhe conLexL of
globallsaLlon and merglng of dlfferenL culLures. 1he vlslons of Lhe 8Cl as a sLandalone
lnsLlLuLe as well as parL of Lhe LunlC program reflecL Lhls averslon of addresslng Lhe
challenges faced by lncreaslng lmmlgraLlon.


39

.5* 230 #& #5(%/( 35 # /36%#+ @35$*5B
lL ls cruclal Lo conslder Lhe culLural organlsaLlon's mlsslon when quesLlonlng Lhe
exLenL Lo whlch Lhe laLLer addresses oLherness. klwan and kosnlck (2006) sLudy Lhe
dlfference beLween arL works creaLed by arLlsLs, and Lhose lmaglned by arLlsLs labeled
as eLhnlc". As dlscussed ln Lhe llLeraLure revlew, culLural evenLs conducLed by eLhnlc
mlnorlLles are ofLen expecLed Lo be 'sLaLemenLs abouL culLural dlfferences and
CLherness' (klwan and kosnlc, 2006: 123). 1hese sLaLemenLs Lake form ln varlous ways,
such as arL works LhaL are purely LradlLlonal, where recognlsed naLlon symbols are more
Lhan evldenL, or where sLruggles of eLhnlc mlnorlLles are Lhe maln focus of dlscusslon.
1he 8Cl defles Lhls assumpLlon of mlnorlLles requlred Lo presenL eLhnlc arL as lL
chooses Lo lmplemenL culLural evenLs LhaL focus on Lhe arLlsLs' leglLlmacy. 1hls ls
exempllfled by Lhe 8Cl's mulLlple parLnershlps wlLh recognlsed lnsLlLuLes such as Lhe
8arblcan, 1aLe Modern, 8oyal Academy of ArLs and Lhe vlcLorla & AlberL Museum (lC8,
2014). ln Lhls way, Lhe lC8 alms Lo lncrease Lhe vlslblllLy of already esLabllshed 8omanlan
arLlsLs by lnLegraLlng Lhem ln London's arLs and culLure, as SLroe noLes:
We wanL Lo show LhaL 8omanlan arLlsLs and culLural evenLs can be creaLed ln Lhe
caplLal of culLure, one of Lhe blggesL culLural clLles ln Lhe world. ln facL, Lhe
subllmlnal message ls LhaL 8omanlan arLlsLs are framed ln Lhe Luropean culLural
markeL. So somehow, boLLom llne, arLs and 8omanlan culLure Lake place ln a
culLural Luropean dlscourse (lnLervlew, 2014). Accordlngly, by challenglng Lhe
expecLed manLra of forelgn culLural organlsaLlons focuslng on eLhnlc lssues, Lhe
8Cl brlngs forLh Lhe Lxcellency of 8omanlan arLlsLs and culLural producLs.

ln Lhls way, Lhe 8Cl's dlrecLlonal focus allows for 'new reallLles of culLural
dlverslLy' (karaca, 2010: 13) for naLlonals and lmmlgranLs where Lhere ls a sense of
equallLy. 1he 8CC however alms aL lncreaslng vlslblllLy for boLh emerglng arLlsLs as well

40

as Lhose worklng for a soclal cause (8CC, 2014). When asked how Lhe 8CC dlffers from
Lhe 8Cl ln Lerms of approachlng cerLaln Lypes of arLlsLs, Campeanu replles,
We Lry Lo glve space for Lhe 8omanlans LhaL aren'L necessarlly esLabllshed arLlsLs
buL [usL wanL a llLLle blL of supporL Lo prove Lhemselves, and we have a way
smaller budgeL and a smaller Leam (lnLervlew, 2013).

1hus, Lhe organlsaLlon's lnLernal sLrucLure ln Lerms of flnance dlsLrlbuLlon and
avallable labour lnfluences Lhe chosen arLlsLs, regardless of a hlgher moral purpose. ln
lmaglnlng culLural evenLs LhaL are of a senslLlve naLure, Lhe 8CC can be percelved as
relnforclng Lhe ldea of eLhnlc producLlon of culLure ln a way LhaL relLeraLes Lhelr
dlfference. 1he quesLlon ls: whaL ls Lhe balance beLween leglLlmacy and Lhe flghL for a
soclal cause, whllsL slmulLaneously enabllng communal lnLegraLlon for eLhnlc
mlnorlLles? 1hls quesLlon ls sub[ecLlve, and depends on one's prlorlLles. ?eL, lL can be
argued LhaL lnLerculLural dlalogue ls more effecLlve when lL draws aLLenLlon Lo soclal
lssues, as lL confronLs eLhnlc lnLegraLlon reallLles aL face value.
;3&(*&( .&#+2/%/ 3& 7;< #&1 7;; %&(*560+(05#+ 1%#+3'0* *G*&(/
1o supporL Lhe LhemaLlc analysls of Lhe lnLervlews, lL was lmporLanL Lo explore
Lhe naLure and frequency of Lhe lnLerculLural dlalogue evenLs conducLed aL boLh Lhe 8Cl
and 8CC. 1hls shorL conLenL analysls explores Lhe evenLs devlsed under Lhe umbrella
Lerm lnLerculLural dlalogue Lo respond Lo Lhe flrsL research quesLlon: how do Lhe 8Cl
and 8CC address oLherness. 1he sLudy covers Lhe 8Cl and 8CC's evenLs conducLed ln
London durlng Lhe perlod of !une 2013 Lo !une 2014. 1hree caLegorles were devlsed Lo
collecL daLa namely, how ofLen are Lhe evenLs dedlcaLed Lo promoLlng 8omanlan arLlsLs,
soclal lssues (panel dlscusslons, debaLes), or boLh soclal lssues and Lhe arLs. Pow arLlsLs

41

mend dlfferences by addresslng soclal lssues ls speclflcally of lnLeresL for Lhls paper.
uaLa was collecLed readlng Lhe synopsls of each evenL and caLegorlslng Lhem accordlng
Lo Lhelr naLure.
A LoLal of 33 evenLs were conducLed by Lhe 8Cl whlle a conslderably lesser
amounL of 22 - roughly Lwo per monLh - evenLs were organlsed by Lhe 8CC. 1he recenL
cuL ln employees aL Lhe 8CC ls sald Lo have lmpacLed Lhe LoLal number of culLural evenLs
conducLed ln Lhe pasL year (Campeanu, lnLervlew, 2014). lL was found LhaL 93 of Lhe
evenLs led by Lhe 8Cl (llg.2: Appendlx 8) were solely dedlcaLed Lo Lhe promoLlon of
8omanlan arLlsLs, 3 Lo soclal lssues and a mere 2 presenLed 8omanlan arLlsLs
addresslng soclal lssues (llg. 1: Appendlx 8). ln comparlson, lL was found LhaL aL Lhe 8CC
(llg.1: Appendlx 8), 33 of evenLs promoLed 8omanlan arLlsLs, 18 soclal lssues, and
27 were dedlcaLed Lo boLh soclal lssues and 8omanlan arLlsLs.
1he resulLs of Lhe conLenL analysls sLrongly supporL Lhe flndlngs from Lhe
LhemaLlc analysls conducLed from Lhe quallLaLlve lnLervlews. namely, Lhe 93 flgure
(llg.2: Appendlx 8) of 8omanlan arLlsLs relnforces 8Cl's sLaLed purpose of promoLlng
8omanlan arLlsLs. More speclflcally, lL was found LhaL 46 of Lhelr evenLs were
dedlcaLed Lo classlcal muslc, whlle fllm, vlsual arLs, LheaLre and llLeraLure were roughly
around Lhe same percenLage. As SLroe has clalmed LhaL all Lhe 8CC evenLs are of an
lnLerculLural dlalogue naLure (lnLervlew, 2014), Lhere ls however llmlLed lnLeracLlon
beLween Lhe 8Cl and audlence when Lhe evenL ls ln Lhe form of a concerL. 1he emphasls
on evenLs dedlcaLed Lo classlcal muslc can also lndlcaLe Lhe audlence's soclal class
(8ourdleu, 1980), whlch relnforces Lhe argumenL of 8Cl's resLrlcLlve access.

42

Cn Lhe oLher hand, Lhe 8CC proves Lo be more dlverse ln Lhe plannlng of culLural
evenLs and caLers Lo a wlder audlence regardless of Lhelr soclo-economlc sLandlng.
namely, Lhe organlsaLlon covers LheaLer wlLh 30 and fllm and vlsual arLs each Lake up
30. lncludlng Lhelr lnLeresL ln conducLlng panel evenLs abouL soclal lssues ln Lhe llkes
of mlnlng awareness ln 8omanla, or open dlalogues for 8oma lnLegraLlon besL pracLlces,
Lhe 8CC also conducLs very lnLeresLlng evenLs LhaL express problemaLlc lssues Lhrough
Lhe arLs. 1wo noLeworLhy lnLerculLural evenLs conducLed aL Lhe 8CC reflecL on Lhe
lmmlgraLlon lssue of 8omanlans ln Lhe uk, namely:
'1he lorelgner's CoaL' (llg.2: Appendlx A) 'alms aL deconsLrucLlng Lhe medla
mechanlsm of labellng 8omanlans as a homogenous and LhreaLenlng mass of mlgranLs
by focuslng on lndlvldual sLorles' (8CC, 2013). 1he lnsLallaLlon ls made ouL of found uk
newspaper arLlcles uslng dlscrlmlnaLory language Lowards 8omanlans and essenLlally
dlsregardlng lndlvldual characLerlsLlcs. 1he meLaphor here ls LhaL Lhe coaL reflecLs one
person, Lhus lllusLraLlng Lhe lndlvldual raLher Lhan Lhe mass, whlch ls LhoughL-provoklng.
'no Cne 8elongs Pere More 1han ?ou' ls a LheaLrlcal reflecLlon on Lhe recepLlon
of LasLern Luropeans ln Lhe uk. 1wo comedy sklLs were devlsed Lo express raclsm ln Lhe
medla, one exaggeraLes headllnes ln Lablolds abouL lmmlgraLlon floods", Lhe oLher
humorously expresses sLereoLypes abouL LasLern Luropeans as a group (8Cl, 2014).
1hese Lwo pro[ecLs Lackle senslLlve sub[ecLs, demonsLraLlng Lhe 8Cl's culLural-awareness
and openness Lo tlsk.


43

A3@ 5%/$2 %/ (33 5%/$2B
1o undersLand why Lhe 8Cl ls less amenable ln conducLlng lnLerculLural evenLs of
a senslLlve naLure, lL ls lmporLanL Lo conslder Lhe rlsk facLor. Accordlngly, lL has been
found LhaL an organlsaLlon's fundlng body greaLly lnfluences Lhe lmaglnaLlon of lLs
pro[ecLs. 1he 8Cl recelves fundlng by boLh Lhe 8omanlan governmenL, and musL have lLs
pro[ecLs proposals approved by Lhe SenaLe (uragulescu, 2003). Sald (1978: 9) quoLes
lnfluenLlal culLural crlLlc MaLLhew Arnold (n.d.) when he sLaLes LhaL 'Lhe power of
culLure ls poLenLlally noLhlng less Lhan Lhe power of Lhe SLaLe'. lmpllclL ln LhaL sLaLemenL
ls LhaL Lhe SLaLe ls percelved as an ldeologlcal vehlcle for culLure. Accordlngly, when Lhe
8Cl was under Lhe CommunlsL reglme, Lhe lnsLlLuLe's arLs and culLure were censored ln
regards Lo values LhaL falled Lo adhere Lo Lhe CommunlsL ldeal (uragulescu, 2003: 3). As
Sald (1978) conLends:
CulLure ls 'a sysLem of excluslons leglslaLed from above buL enacLed LhroughouL lLs
pollLy by whlch such Lhlngs as anarchy, dlsorder, lrraLlonallLy, lnferlorlLy bad LasLe
and lmmorallLy are ldenLlfled Lhen deposlLed ouLslde Lhe culLure, and kepL Lhere
by lLs lnsLlLuLlons. (1978: 34)

Sald (1978) argues LhaL sLaLe-governed culLure ls ln some way fllLered for ulLerlor
purposes LhaL Lranscend LhaL of dlssemlnaLlng culLure. Seslc and urago[ecvlc (2006: 30)
agree as Lhey wrlLe, 'Lhe sLaLe percelves Lhe culLural lnsLlLuLe as evldence of naLlonal
soverelgnLy and benchmarks of naLlonal ldenLlLy'. When asked lf lC8 conducLs evenLs of
a senslLlve naLure, SLroe replles, 'here, Lhe rlsk ls blgger' (lnLervlew, 2014). SLroe
explalns Lhe governmenL's role ln resLrlcLlng cerLaln sub[ecLs as she sLaLes, 'we don'L
have LoLal auLonomy, we can'L do, lf we wanLed, an exposlLlon wlLh a senslLlve sub[ecL.

44

We won'L do lL even lf we would wanL Lo - because Lhe 8oard of ulrecLors would say lL
lsn'L opporLune' (lnLervlew, 2014).
ln so dolng, culLural organlsaLlons may deem lL unorLhodox Lo conducL
lnLerculLural evenLs LhaL are of a more senslLlve naLure, alLhough Lhe laLLer can be more
rewardlng ln Lerms of recelvlng more aLLenLlon. As 8habha (1994: 163) argues, 'culLural
producLlon ls always mosL producLlve where lL ls mosL amblvalenL and Lransgresslve'.
1aklng Lhls lnLo conslderaLlon, lL can Lherefore be sald LhaL culLural evenLs are mosL
successful when Lhey are of a rlskler naLure. Accordlngly, when asked abouL Lhe beneflLs
of conducLlng evenLs LhaL are less convenLlonal, Campeanu replles:
1he good surprlse ls LhaL every Llme we are dolng rlsky pro[ecL we geL a larger
audlence, much more aLLenLlon, so Lhere ls a need for pro[ecLs LhaL are
represenLlng Lhe everyday reallLles of Lhe dlaspora. noL [usL Lhe flashy aspecL of
Lhe 8omanlan communlLy, noL [usL Lo Lhe esLabllshed one, buL Lo glve space Lo
oLhers Lo Lalk abouL Lhemselves (lnLervlew, 2014).

lmporLanL Lo noLe here ls Lhe clear dlsLlncLlon beLween governmenL-funded
pro[ecLs and Lhose LhaL are prlvaLely flnanced. Campeanu relaLes freedom of Lhe
lmaglnaLlon of pro[ecLs Lo Lhe facL LhaL Lhe 8CC ls noL afflllaLed wlLh Lhe governmenL
(lnLervlew, 2014). When asked whaL Lypes of evenLs are mosL effecLlve ln allowlng for a
dlalogue, Campeanu answers: 'When we are Lrylng Lo be more bold and address lssue
LhaL we normally don'L see wlLh 8omanlan culLural organlsaLlons abroad, we geL a
poslLlve feedback from forelgn audlences' (lnLervlew, 2014). 1hls dlsserLaLlon Lhus
suggesLs LhaL rlsk plays an lmporLanL facLor ln wheLher culLural organlsaLlons engage
wlLh lnLerculLural dlalogue pro[ecLs LhaL are of a senslLlve naLure, and also clalms LhaL
Lhe rlsk facLor can lncrease Lhe success of lLs evenLs.

43

;3&6+0/%3&/- "#$%&' ()* 5%/$
1he rlghL Lo freedom of movemenL wlLhln Lhe Luropean unlon has ralsed
quesLlons on wheLher or noL effecLlve Lools are ln place Lo manage Lhe lncreaslng
dlverslLy ln Lurope. 8habha sLaLes, 'Lo exlsL ls Lo be called lnLo belng ln relaLlon Lo an
oLherness' (8habha, 1994: 63), and from Lhls noLlon, lL can be sald LhaL confllcL wlll
always perslsL. 1he anLl-rheLorlc dlscourse of 8omanlan lmmlgranLs ln Lhe uk by some
medla ouLleLs demands for Lhe need Lo aLLend Lo Lhese culLural dlfferences, as Lhe fear
of Lhe oLher (8habha, 1994, Sald, 1978) ls of lncreaslng lmporLance wlLhln Lhe conLexL of
globallsaLlon. Clven lnLerculLural dlalogue ls one of Lhe Lhree maln alms of Lhe Lu
CulLure program (Lu, 2014) - lLs lmporLance ln pollcymaklng ls evldenL as well.
As Aman (2012: 1013) eloquenLly elaboraLes, 'pollcy documenLs do noL Lell us
how lL acLually ls ln 'llfe', buL Lhey do descrlbe Lhe vlslons and Lhe ldeas for Lhe fuLure'.
1he llLeraLure revlew revealed power dlfferenLlals wlLhln Lhe Lu rheLorlc on lnLerculLural
dlalogue and culLure, as Lhe lncluslon of lLs members necessarlly excludes Lhe oLhers
(Aman, 2012). 1hus, a reflexlve approach wlLhln Lhe Luropean ldenLlLy ls also necessary
Lo be able Lo lmaglne pro[ecLs LhaL deal wlLh Lhe oLher. 1hls research has also
consldered Lhe facLors LhaL consLrucL ldenLlLles by drawlng on posLcolonlal LheorlsLs Lo
palnL a plcLure of how Lhe mlgranL ls undersLood as dlfferenL, and provlded a poslLlve
ouLlook as 1hlrd Spaces" (8habha, 1994) allow for new ldenLlLles Lo be conLesLed and
creaLed.
lnLerculLural Lurope (2010: 7) sLaLes LhaL lL ls lmperaLlve LhaL organlsaLlons need
Lo lmplemenL culLural pollcles ln regards Lo lnLerculLural dlalogue 'as an lnsLrumenL for

46

'peace and confllcL prevenLlon', whlch valldaLed my cholce of lnvesLlgaLlng Lhe roles of
Lhe 8omanlan CulLural lnsLlLuLe and 8omanlan CulLural CenLer ln London. 1hls sLudy has
shown Lhe orlglnal hypoLhesls Lo be LruLhful: alLhough culLural organlsaLlons work
Lowards addresslng oLherness, Lhere are sLrucLural llmlLaLlons LhaL musL be aLLended Lo
for Lhe effecLlve lmplemenLaLlon of lnLerculLural dlalogue evenLs.
1he 8Cl addresses oLherness by promoLlng lLs esLabllshed arLlsLs, yeL Lwo
llmlLaLlons have been dlscovered: Lhe flrsL belng lLs resLrlcLlve access ln Lerms of Lhe
soclo-economlc sLandlng of lLs audlence (uragulescu, 2013), and Lhe second refers Lo lLs
sLaLe-governed fundlng body LhaL lmpedes lLs ablllLy Lo address senslLlve Loplcs.
Cn Lhe oLher hand, Lhe 8CC works Lowards brldglng Lhe culLural gap by
promoLlng lLs emerglng arLlsLs, as well as devlslng pro[ecLs LhaL are of a rlskler naLure.
LlmlLs are also presenL for Lhls non-pollLlcal organlsaLlon as lLs pro[ecLs can be
relnforclng Lhe ldea of eLhnlc arL (karaca: 2010), raLher Lhan valulng Lhe arLlsL'
leglLlmacy. 1he 8CC also lacks adequaLe fundlng, Lhus affecLlng Lhe number of lLs sLaff as
well as Lhe amounL of culLural evenLs lL can showcase.
AlLhough Lhls research analysls allowed for an ln-depLh undersLandlng of Lhe
sLrucLural llmlLaLlons aL Lhe 8Cl and 8CC, llmlLaLlons lnclude lLs speclflclLy, and Lhus
Lhese flndlngs cannoL be used Lo generallse for a wlder sample. Moreover, lL would have
been lnLeresLlng Lo analyse Lhe pollcles of 8rlLlsh culLural lnsLlLuLes Lhe lncluslon of
lnLerculLural dlalogue pro[ecLs a more hollsLlc perspecLlve on Lhe maLLer.
A key concern for Lhe lack of lmplemenLaLlon of lnLerculLural dlalogue pro[ecLs ls
lLs amblguous deflnlLlon. As for Lhe creaLlve and culLural lndusLrles, Lhls can lead Lo Lhe

47

lnsLrumenLallsaLlon of pollcles, whlch demands for a sLrlcLer accounL of whaL
lnLerculLural dlalogue enLalls. lL ls suggesLed LhaL furLher research on lnLerculLural
dlalogue should address measuremenL Lools Lo evaluaLe Lhe effecLlveness of
lnLerculLural dlalogue, and Lhus perpeLuaLe lLs valldlLy ln mendlng culLural dlfferences.
MosL lmporLanLly, Lhe quallLaLlve lnLervlews proved LhaL rlsk plays an lmporLanL role ln
Lhe creaLlon of successful evenLs LhaL Lackle senslLlve sub[ecLs aL face value. 1hus, l urge
culLural organlsaLlons Lo Lake Lhe leap, sLep ouL of Lhelr comforL zones, and lmaglne
evenLs LhaL are of a rlskler naLure Lo, ln Lurn, help brldge culLural dlfferences.


48

D%:+%3'5#,)2

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30

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31

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32

Mokre, M., 2006. otopeoo coltotol lollcles ooJ otopeoo uemoctocy. [onllne] !anuary
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O30(0:* ;+%,

lC8 Londra. 2012. coltotol ulplomocy lo o cbooqloq wotlJ. now to kespooJ to tbe
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.01%3
8rown, W., 2008. lbllosopby 8ltes (Novembet 2008), [podcasL] november 2008.
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I5%'%&#+ <&(*5G%*@/

lnLervlew wlLh Carmen Campeanu, 26 !uly 2014
lnLervlew wlLh aul Suclu, 30 !uly 2014
lnLervlew wlLh Magda SLroe, 16 AugusL 2014


33

.,,*&1%6*/
Appendlx A: llgures
Appendlx 8: ConLenL Analysls 8esulLs
Appendlx C: LLhlcal Approval from klng's College London


34

.,,*&1%F .- ?%'05*/
?%'05* PQ R%6#+*K S< 63G*5 230 %& *'' #&1 G%&*'#5E 35 S!" $%& &' (' )* &' (+"+,K 7;;Q


33

?%'05* TQ S")* ?35*%'&*5E/ ;3#(EK 7;;Q


36

.,,*&1%F D- ;3&(*&( #&#+2/%/ 5*/0+(/
?%'QP- 7*/0+(/ 4538 7;;

?%'QT- 7*/0+(/ 4538 7;<

738#&%#& ;0+(05#+ ;*&(5*
ArsLs
Soclal lssues
ArLs & Soclal lssues
738#&%#& ;0+(05#+ <&/U(0(*
ArsLs
Soclal lssues
ArLs & Soclal lssues

37

.,,*&1%F ;- =()%6#+ .,,53G#+ 4538 V%&'E/ ;3++*'* 93&13&

King's College London
Rm 5.2 FWB (Waterloo Bridge Wing)
Stamford Street
London
SE1 9NH
26 June 2014
TO: Christine Baron
SUBJECT: Approval of ethics application

Dear Christine,

KCL/13/14-916 - Reactive Nation Branding: The role of Romanian Cultural Organisations in
the UK

I am pleased to inform you that full approval for your project has been granted by the A&H
Research Ethics Panel. Any specific conditions of approval are laid out at the end of this letter
which should be followed in addition to the standard terms and conditions of approval, to be
overseen by your Supervisor:
o Ethical approval is granted for a period of one year from 26 June 2014. You will not
receive a reminder that your approval is about to lapse so it is your responsibility to apply
for an extension prior to the project lapsing if you need one (see below for instructions).
o You should report any untoward events or unforeseen ethical problems arising from the
project to the panel Chairman within a week of the occurrence. Information about the
panel may be accessed at:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/research/support/ethics/committees/sshl/reps/index.aspx
o If you wish to change your project or request an extension of approval, please complete
the Modification Proforma. A signed hard copy of this should be submitted to the Research
Ethics Office, along with an electronic version to crec-lowrisk@kcl.ac.uk . Please be sure
to quote your low risk reference number on all correspondence. Details of how to fill a
modification request can be found at:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/research/support/ethics/applications/modifications.aspx
o All research should be conducted in accordance with the Kings College London
Guidelines on Good Practice in Academic Research available at:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/iop/research/office/help/Assets/good20practice20Sept200920FINAL.p
df

If you require signed confirmation of your approval please email crec-lowrisk@kcl.ac.uk indicating
why it is required and the address you would like it to be sent to.

Please would you also note that we may, for the purposes of audit, contact you from time to time to
ascertain the status of your research.

38

We wish you every success with this work.

With best wishes

Annah Whyton Research Support Assistant
On behalf of
A&H REP Reviewer

Romanian Cultural Institute Evaluation

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