Call for papers – first and second editions of 2026

The journal Políticas Culturais em Revista (Cultural Policies Review), an electronic publication of the Network for Cultural Policy Studies, announces the call for papers for the first and second issues of 2026 (v. 19, n. 1 and n. 2), which, in addition to scientific articles and reviews on Cultural Policy and related themes, will include the following thematic dossiers:

First edition of 2026

South-South Cultural Policies

Editors: Leonardo Costa (UFBA), Richard Haines (Nelson Mandela University).

South-South cultural policies represent an emerging paradigm of international cooperation based on horizontality, solidarity, and mutual respect among countries of the Global South. Unlike traditional North-South cooperation models, characterized by asymmetric relations and the imposition of external agendas, South-South cooperation in the cultural field seeks to privilege the horizontal exchange of knowledge, experiences, and resources among developing countries that share similar challenges and contexts.

This dossier seeks to bring together theoretical reflections, analyses of experiences, and case studies that contribute to the understanding, strengthening, and dissemination of South-South cultural policies. We are interested in understanding how these initiatives have promoted cultural self-determination, the strengthening of local and national identities, and the construction of alternatives to hegemonic models of international cultural cooperation.

Thematic Areas

We invite submissions that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Theoretical and epistemological foundations of South-South cultural policies and their contributions to decolonial and postcolonial thought
• Regional cooperation experiences: BRICS, Mercosur Cultural, UNASUR, Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), Africa-South America Summits, and other initiatives
• Bilateral and trilateral cooperation in culture among Global South countries, including partnerships with multilateral organizations
• Cultural networks and circuits built from South-South cooperation: festivals, meetings of cultural agents, artistic residencies, exchanges, and collaborative platforms
• Cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue as guiding principles of South-South policies
• Epistemic and cultural autonomy: strategies of resistance to hegemonic cultural models and valorization of local knowledge
• Contemporary challenges: funding, institutional coordination, overcoming inequalities, and sustainability of South-South initiatives
• Social and political impacts of South-South cultural cooperation on local and regional development
• Creative industries and cultural economy from a South-South cooperation perspective
• Digital platforms and cultural policy in the Global South: regulation, cultural sovereignty, and alternatives to hegemonic Big Tech models in the cultural and creative sectors
• Comparative studies among different cultural cooperation models

Submission deadline: extended until March 31, 2026, exclusively through the Journal's system.

Expected publication in the first semester of 2026.

 

Second edition of 2026

Democratization of culture and cultural democracy: Models of audience development and cultural practices at the intersection of territorialization of cultural policies

Editors: Lia Calabre (FCRB), Ana Rosas Mantecón (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana de México).

In Latin American cultural policies, several ideal models of audience development have developed which, as Pinochet and Güell (2018) pointed out, coexist, compete or complement each other, generally in a conflicting manner. There is an original vision that focuses on the market-driven pursuit of attracting more visitors, to which are added the proposals for the democratization of culture and cultural democracy.

In general, their notions about audiences are different: the first conceives them as clients, the second as recipients to be educated, and the third as participants and subjects of rights. Their perspectives on culture also differ: while the commodification and democratization of culture prioritize the sphere of high culture, cultural democracy caters to the multiple cultural expressions of diverse social sectors, not just artists. This latter perspective brings us closer to the question of territory, belonging, identities, the effective place of material and symbolic exchanges, even in times of platformization of daily life.

In contemporary societies, there are contradictory conditions for the promotion of cultural participation. On the one hand, media digitization has favored the blurring of boundaries between authors and audiences, driving new channels of interaction and participation for those who are now prosumers and “produsers”. On the other hand, the business model of platforms increasingly restricts them to followers of influencers and famous personalities. Neoliberal pressures of old and new kinds disregard their cultural rights of access, expression, and participation. In this sense, the implementation of cultural policies based on the premise of cultural democracy puts the issue of citizenship and cultural rights back at the center of the stage.

Latin America has participated in various ways in the international discussion on models for audience development. As Pinochet pointed out, culture in these regions resisted binary logics, admitting diverse registers of culture: elite art, folklore, and heritage; and, since the mid-20th century, intellectual circles have been interested in popular cultures as an expression of social authenticity. Furthermore, the paradigm of cultural democracy has acquired its own forms through working logics such as that of sociocultural animation in the 1970s, or with more recent impulses such as those of the Culture Points (Pinochet, 2024; Yúdice, 2019). At the turn of the 21st century, the issue of Community Culture has been provoking the repositioning of many of the bases upon which the construction of cultural policies rested.

What challenges do the various models of access to culture face in Latin America? What formats have they developed and how have they transformed? What successes and failures have they had in combating inequalities in the cultural field? What theoretical and methodological challenges do we encounter when trying to understand them?

Article submission deadline: extended until May 31, 2026, exclusively through the Journal's system.

Expected publication in the second half of 2026.

Bibliographical references

Chaui, M. (2016) A radical and modern option: Cultural Democracy. Rubim, A. (Org.). Cultural Policy and democratic management in Brazil. São Paulo. Ed. Fundação Perseu Abramo.

Hadley, S. (2021) Audience development and cultural policy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, Switzerland.

Santos, M. (2002) The nature of space. São Paulo. Edusp.

Peters, T. (2023) The incessant gap: Cultural policies and inequality in Chile. Santiago de Chile. Ediciones OPC.

Pinochet, C and Güell, P. (2017) Visitors, audiences, public Apuntes para un estudio de las prácticas culturales, Atenea 518 II sem. 2018, pp. 151-166.

Pinochet, C. (2024) La cultura Descenterada Studies on cultural democracy in Chile and Latin America. Santiago de Chile. Alberto Hurtado Ediciones University.

Yúdice, George (2019) “Cultural and civic policies”. Education & Reality, Porto Alegre, v. 44, no. 4, https://doi.org/10.1590/2175-623689221