Cultural Strategies for Hong Kong: Reframing why policy matters through West Kowloon Notes for an agenda

Cultural Strategies for Hong Kong Prof Stephen Chan Ching-kiu Dept of Cultural Studies Lingnan University

Reframing why policy matters through the West Kowloon project: I.URBAN CULTURAL STRATEGIES TOWARD GLOBALIZATION II. From ART to CULTURAL CITIZENSHIP STRATEGIES

I. Urban Cultural Stratgies toward Gloalization Aim To examine the opportunities for local cultures (cultures of the people) by considering possible strategies to take by government and the community in light of ongoing cultural globalization.

Lead Question Does the existence of global cultures imply homogeneity in the tastes of publics located in different countries? What policies, if any, should government undertake in order to adjust, adapt, or resist the effects of global cultures?’ -- D. Crane (2002)

Key Task To identify and examine strategies urban governments and cultural organizations can use to preserve, protect, and enhance their existing cultural resources.

Three Kinds of Public Cultural Strategies Preserving and protecting national and local cultures Resisting global culture Globalizing national or local cultures

3 Kinds of Public Cultural Strategies Strategy 1:1: Preserving, protecting and developing national and local cultures

Preserving and developing local cultures Strategy 1:1: Regeneration of cultural resources in grassroot local cultures and non- mainstream urban neighborhoods, as a way of reacting to the currents of globalization.

Preserving and developing local cultures E.g., Museum as cultural strategy: can be developed as a repository of cultural heritage and cultural memory, hence a sustainable alternative and social partner to commercial culture.

3 Kinds of Public Cultural Strategies Strategy 2:2: Resisting global culture Advanced and developing countries alike adopt strategies to resist the total impact of global media cultures (on grounds of ‘free trade’, ‘free speech’; cultural sovereignty, and cultural diversity).

3 Kinds of Public Cultural Strategies Strategy 3:3: Globalizing national or local cultures (A)Transforming cultural sites in order to project new images (e.g., Re-framing for cultural tourism, Disney-fication).

Globalizing national or local cultures Strategy 3:3: (B) Re-creating national or local cultural items for global circulation (e.g., Negotiated modification, Glocalization).

II. From Art to Cultural Citizenship Strategies

Three Stages in the Development of Cultural Policy (1) ‘To bring arts to the people’ by over- coming social barrier. (2) To question what counts as ‘art’/ ‘culture’; to explore community-oriented and multi-perspectival dimensions in it. (3) To address issues of cultural diversity and identity by taking into account the changing terrain of popular taste and lifestyle.

Key factors in the shaping of local, city-based cultural policies Everyday creativity and cultural meanings in a glocal city Commodfication of culture and the agency of young people

Local strategies to diversify the cultural/ economic base of the city To decentralize cultural policy …

Key Factors in Cultural Citizenship To decentralize cultural policy is … - to develop ways of consolidating local social memories in the cultural fabric of our society; - to foster the development of more inclusive civic identities, and - to introduce cosmopolitan definitions of urban civil life into our life-world.

Cultural Policy as Cultural Citizenship Stance 1:1: Our ‘ common culture ’ concerns the ordinary ability of people to contribute, criticize and re-interpret aspects of their culture.

Cultural Policy as Cultural Citizenship Stance 2:2: This ‘ culture in common ’ will have to be formed as an instituted culture of dialogue and negotiation, rather than agreement.

Cultural Policy as Cultural Citizenship Stance 3:3: - A culture held in shared ownership by the community should allow adequate participation by the public---in the process of developing the rich cultural meanings needed for any collective shaping or up-take of identities.

Cultural and educational institutions should allow citizens to develop their own arguments and perspectives in this process; to transmit knowledge, skills and resources that facilitate such public cultural participation (e.g., access to a wide range of cultural repertories and ‘cultural literacies’, self-confidence and intellectual resources for full cultural participation, etc…

Cultural Policy as Cultural Citizenship Cultural policy … should secure the material and institutional means in sustaining such participation, so as to promote a deep sense of citizenship across a broad cultural field of life we hold ‘in common’.

References: Diana Crane (2002) ‘Culture and Globalization: Theoretical Models and Emerging Trends’, in Global Culture: Media, Arts, Policy and Globalization, London & New York: Routledge, pp Nick Stevenson (2003) Cultural Citizenship: Cosmopolitan Questions, Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.

“ I said, I see a … compassionate and democratic society … I see … affluent and well-educated population, proud … I see Hong Kong, as a SAR of China, making significant contributions … With such a high degree of autonomy, it is up to us to determine how well we perform and whether we can continue to progress in the 21 st Century. Indeed, Hong Kong has achieved remarkable success … ” Tung Chee-hwa (2000):

Hong Kong HK SAR, PRChina the World City of China the World City of Asia …

ppWK Cultural Strategies for HK