Dr phil. Özlem Canyürek is a freelance cultural policy researcher and lecturer. Her research focuses on the mission and role of cultural policy in achieving a fair and accessible performing art scene for all. She studied sociology at the University of Istanbul. After doing her M.A. at Istanbul Bilgi University on the topic of cultural management and cultural policy, she did a doctorate at the University of Hildesheim’s Department of Cultural Policy. Her doctoral thesis addresses the lack of cultural diversity in the German theatre landscape. She proposes framework conditions for a receptive cultural policy in order to initiate cultural diversity for the production and dissemination of thought, experience, knowledge, aesthetics and philosophies of life in an intercultural society. She is a member of the PostHeimat Network and the Global South Arts and Culture Initiative, GLOSACI.
What is your professional focus?
My research interests comprise the diversification processes in the performing arts, creating equal access conditions to the performing arts and to Cultural Education for all and the development of intercultural skills and abilities in Cultural Education. I give lectures on discrimination-critical, diversity-oriented perspectives in cultural policy, the performing arts and Cultural Education.
What potentials do you see in the certificate course “Artistic Interventions in Cultural Education” for your specialist field?
Cultural Education plays a crucial role in creating more access to and more ownership of culture. “Artistic interventions in Cultural Education” hold the potential to widen horizons and change the Western-dominated form of knowledge production in art. I very much hope that this certificate course can be an opportunity to impart artists with the abilities and skills needed to recognise and appreciate diversified types and manners of aesthetics and artistic formats.
Which changes are needed at cultural policy or education policy level to strengthen the potentials of cooperation with artists for Cultural Education in Germany?
First of all, it is important to me to establish a coordinated approach among cultural and education policy towards stable cooperation with artists. However, the crucial question is what Cultural Education we need. The aim ought to be to introduce interculturally oriented perspectives of Cultural Education. With “intercultural”, I am referring to a mutual, lifelong learning process addressing all children and youths, irrespective of their ethnic origin, in a country in which cultural diversity ought to be recognised as a social norm. An integrated cultural and education policy ought to seek the establishment of a variety of cultural expression forms and offer explicit intercultural planning and corresponding implementation strategies in which artists are posited as transmitters of diversified artistic knowledge.
Özlem Canyürek at “Artistic Interventions in Cultural Education”
Özlem Canyürek is taking part in the course framework as a lecturer in Module 2: “Theoretical concepts and discourses”. If you have any queries or are interested in cooperating, you are welcome to contact zertifikatskurs [at] uni-hildesheim [dot] de