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Art, Politics, and Power: UNESCO and the Formation of a Transnational Contemporary Art Policy, between corporatism, elitism, and democratisation (1946-1980)

Project description

Understanding UNESCO’s role in contemporary transnational art policy

Established in 1945 following World War Two, UNESCO concentrates on education, science and culture. But we have little information about its impact on the current state of global art. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the UNEArt project will examine the role that UNESCO played in contemporary transnational art policy. The study of archival materials will provide us with information about the impact of UNESCO’s cultural politics and how such organisations play a part in shaping the global art world. This is especially true of such aspects of politics as conflict, negotiations and compromises.

Objective

UNEArt is an interdisciplinary research project that critically investigates UNESCO’s role in shaping contemporary transnational art policy. It aims to develop a more nuanced and pluralistic understanding of how international organisations have influenced the contemporary global art landscape.
Drawing on a rich body of unpublished material from both public and private archives, the project highlights the significance of conflict, negotiation, and compromise in UNESCO’s cultural governance processes, illustrating that the development of transnational art policies was the outcome of dynamic and often contentious exchanges between member states. UNEArt’s overarching objective is to rethink the relationship between politics and culture after WWII through the lens of international cultural policy, according to the principle of concordia discors, providing a more critical, historically grounded framework for understanding cultural diplomacy and institutional agency.
The main goals of the research are:
1. to analyse the process behind the development of a transnational contemporary art policy;
2. to highlight the heuristic value of conflict in cultural governance;
3. to reflect on the concept of the welfare state in the cultural field;
4. to promote a secularised and non-deterministic view of historical processes, emphasising the role of individual agency and contingency;
5. to contribute to broader debates on the interplay between politics and culture;
6. to valorise UNESCO’s archival holdings, thereby enhancing European and global cultural heritage.
The project will produce a scholarly monograph and an international conference organised by Sciences Po (Paris) under the patronage of UNESCO. These outcomes will not only advance academic understanding in this underexplored field but will also significantly contribute to the development of my international research profile and support my long-term career objective of securing a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

Keywords

Programme(s)

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Funding Scheme

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF

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Coordinator

FONDATION NATIONALE DES SCIENCES POLITIQUES
Net EU contribution
€ 242 260,56
Address
RUE SAINT GUILLAUME 27
75341 Paris
France
Region
Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost
No data