Yearbook 2009

The year 2010 will be a time of celebration for Istanbul when the city comes into its own as the European Capital of Culture. All the more reason, therefore, to dedicate this first issue of the Yearbook for Cultural Policy & Management in Turkey to culture in cities. KPY Yearbook draws on the experience of authors from Turkey, the Netherlands and from all over Europe. It discusses cultural policy and cultural management in the context of urban planning, city development and local artistic production.

Both in Turkey and Europe, metropolises and smaller cities increasingly emphasize arts and culture as the new key factors for tackling urban social challenges and for using the local creative potential to enhance economic performance. The question how to make best use of the historic, contemporary and genuine local resources in an imaginative way, despite modest financial means, is at the core of debating cultural policies for cities today. Academic analysis and research plays an essential role in informing policy-makers, cultural managers and artists in leading these debates towards solutions which are viable in practice. This Yearbook aims to bridge existing gaps between these professional spheres but also to expand policy research in Turkey and Europe to still under-explored urban landscapes and cultural horizons.

The keynote article of this book by Gijs de Vries makes a strong plea for effective cultural diplomacy. De Vries, former member of the Dutch Government and the European Convention, takes a vital stand for an intensification of cultural relations between Turkey and the EU. In his argument, the two need one another not only to create greater political and economic stability in the Eurasia region, but also to enrich cultural diversity, increase cultural participation and thereby reach the ‘hearts and minds’ of their citizens. Not only the politicians, but also the artists, the culture professionals, the civil society and the academia must assume their responsibility to promote a multifaceted rapprochement between Europe and Turkey. The exclusive interviews with Talat Sait Halman, first Minister of Culture of the Turkish Republic in 1971, and Pulat Tacar, both pioneers of cultural policy-making in Turkey, shed light on the governing system and the administrative practice of Turkish state culture up until today.

The Yearbook for Cultural Policy & Management in Turkey is a new academic periodical that provides a unique international platform for publishing research papers and articles dealing with the practice and theory of cultural policy and management in Turkey and Europe. It contains original research contributions from the field, as well as reflection on current practice, analyses of local arts and culture production, and book reviews. It is our hope that the Yearbook will become an essential reference point for cultural policy-makers, managers, scholars, students, artists and others interested in Turkish arts, culture and supporting their integration with Europe.

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Bilgi University Press