Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

More Than Just Lost in Translation: The Ethnocentrism of Our Frames of Reference and the Underestimated Potential of Multilingualism

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Managing Culture

Part of the book series: Sociology of the Arts ((SOA))

Abstract

This chapter is about power mechanisms inherent in our (knowledge) system, focusing particularly on the language we use in arts management practice. It will explore language in several ways: as regards one’s native tongue in which arts management practice is conducted, as an expression of the human mind that lies at the essence of our work, and as the terminology of the profession (especially as is used in international contexts). It involves a content analysis of definitions given by arts management researchers and practitioners from 25 countries. The chapter raises concerns about the ethnocentrism of our frames of reference for the discipline. In doing so, it argues for greater sensitivity and reflexivity of not only geopolitical but also personal backgrounds, both of which shape our understandings of specific key terminology and concepts. The diversity of these understandings is a great resource for arts and cultural management work in the international arena. Despite tendencies of homogenisation, more research on different narratives and philosophies through more international exchange is needed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abbas, A., & Erni, J. (2005). Introduction: Internationalising cultural studies. In A. Abbas & J. Erni (Eds.), Internationalising cultural studies (pp. 1–12). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belfiore, E., & Bennett, O. (2007). Rethinking the social impacts of the arts. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 13(2), 135–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bennet, T., Grossberg, L., & Morris, M. (2005). New keywords. A revised vocabulary of culture and society. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, C. (2012). Artificial hells: Participatory art and the politics of spectatorship. London and New York: J.P. Tarcher/Putnam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borwick, D. (2012). Building communities, not audiences: The future of the arts in the United States. Winston-Salem: ArtsEngaged.

    Google Scholar 

  • Canas, T. (2015). 10 things you need to consider if you are an artist—Not of the refugee and asylum seeker community—Looking to work with our community. Retrieved June 23, 2016, from http://riserefugee.org/10-things-you-need-to-consider-if-you-are-an-artist-not-of-the-refugee-and-asylum-seeker-community-looking-to-work-with-our-community/#

  • Canas, T. (2017). Diversity is a white word. Retrieved February 19, 2017, from http://www.artshub.com.au/education/news-article/opinions-and-analysis/professional-development/tania-canas/diversity-is-a-white-word-252910

  • Castineira de Dios, J. L. (2009). Crítica de la Gestión Cultural pura. Revista Aportes, No. 23. Venezuela, Argentina, 79–92. Retrieved February 20, 2019, from https://www.asociacionag.org.ar/pdfaportes/23/07.pdf

  • Chong, D. (2010). Arts management. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crossick, G., & Kaszynska, P. (2016). AHRC Cultural Value Project. Final report. Retrieved January 26, 2019, from http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/documents/publications/cultural-value-project-final-report/

  • De Sousa Santos, B. (2014). Epistemologies of the South: Justice against epistemicide. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeVereaux, C. (2009). Cultural management and the discourse of practice. In Jahrbuch für Kulturmanagement 2009 (pp. 155–167). Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dittwald, R., Genc, S., Haude, K., Kutscher, S., Lehmann, K., Schultze-Bernd, E., et al. (2007). Sprachen Verschwinden. Gesellschaft für bedrohte Sprachen. Köln: Institut für Lingusitik. Retrieved February 21, 2019, from http://gbs.uni-koeln.de/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Broschure.pdf.

  • Dragićević-Šešić, M., & Mihaljinac, N. (this volume). Cultural management training within cultural diplomacy agendas in the MENA region. In V. Durrer & R. Henze (Eds.), Managing culture: Reflecting on exchange in our global times (pp. 205–231). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durrer, V. (this volume). A call for reflexivity: Implications of the internationalization agenda for arts management programmes within higher education. In V. Durrer, & R. Henze (Eds.), Managing culture: Reflecting on exchange in our global times (pp. 173–203). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durrer, V., & Henze, R. (2018). Leaving comfort zones. In Arts Management Quarterly, Leaving comfort zones. Cultural inequalities, no. 129, June 2018, 3.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gutiérrez, J., Grant, P.S., & Colbert, F. (2016). Arts management in developing countries: A Latin American perspective. International Journal of Arts Management. Special Edition Latin America. HEC Montreal, 18, 6–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, B. L., & Tandon, R. (2017). Decolonization of knowledge, epistemicide, participatory research and higher education. Research for All, 1(1), 6–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, S. (2000). Cultural identity and diaspora. In N. Mirzoeff (Ed.), Diaspora and visual culture: Representing Africans and Jews (pp. 21–34). London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hampel, A. (2014). Fair Cooperation—Partnerschaftliche Zusammenarbeit in der Auswärtigen Kulturpolitik. Wiesbaden: Springer VS Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hampel, A. (2016). Kooperationskultur in den Künsten: Perspektiven am Beispiel deutsch-indischer Partnerschaften. In W. Schneider and A. Kaitinnis (Eds.), Kulturarbeit in Transformationsprozessen. Innenansichten zur › Außenpolitik ‹ des Goethe-Instituts (pp. 155 – 160). Wiesbaden: Springer VS Verlag.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Henze, R. (2014). Kultur und Management: Eine Annäherung. Wiesbaden: Springer VS Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henze, R. (2017a). Introduction to international arts management. Wiesbaden: Springer VS Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henze, R. (2017b). Why we have to overcome paternalism in times of populism. In M. Dragićević-Šešić (Ed.), Cultural diplomacy: Arts, festivals and geopolitics (pp. 73–87). Belgrade: Ministry of Culture Republic of Serbia & University of Arts.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henze, R. (2018a). The master’s tool will never dismantle the master’s house. Arts Management Quarterly, Leaving comfort zones. Cultural inequalities, no. 129, June 2018, 29–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henze, R. (2018b). Kultur mit allen statt Kultur für alle. Demokratisierung von Kunst und Kultur im 21. Jahrhundert. In Jahrbuch für Kulturpolitik 2017/2018. Thema Welt.Kultur.Politik. Kulturpolitik in Zeiten der Globalisierung (pp. 329–341). Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Henze, R. (2018c). Eurocentrism in European arts management. In M. Dragićević-Šešić & J. Vickery (Eds.), Cultural policy and populism (Cultural Policy Yearbook 2017/2018, pp. 31–43). Istanbul Bilgi University. Istanbul: Iletisim.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hernández-Acosta, J. (2013). Differences in cultural policy and its implications for arts management: Case of Puerto Rico. The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 43(3), 125–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hernández-Acosta, J. (this volume). Navigating between arts management and cultural agency: Latin America’s contribution to a new approach for the field. In V. Durrer & R. Henze (Eds.), Managing culture: Reflecting on exchange in our global times (pp. 271–291). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobsen, U. C. (2015). Cosmopolitan sensitivities, vulnerability, and Global Englishes. Language and Intercultural Communication, 15(4), 459–474.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobsen, U. C. (2018). Language in art and cultural management. In Arts Management Quarterly, Leaving comfort zones. Cultural Inequalities, No. 129, June 2018, pp. 17–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • James, N. (2016). Using email interviews in qualitative educational research: Creating space to think and time to talk. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 29(2), 150–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jullien, F. (2018). Es gibt keine kulturelle Identität. Berlin: Edition suhrkamp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Korf, B., & Rothfuß, E. (2015). Nach der Entwicklungsgeographie. In T. Freytag, H. Gebhard, U. Gebhard, & D. Wastl-Walter (Eds.), Humangeographie kompakt (pp. 164–182). Wiesbaden: Springer Spektrum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Landry, C., Bianchini, F., & Maguire, M. (1993). The social impact of the arts: A discussion document. Stroud: Comedia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Latour, B. (2011). Waiting for Gaia. Composing the common world through arts and politics. A lecture at the French Institute, London, November 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2019, from http://bruno-latour.fr/sites/default/files/124-GAIA-LONON-SPEAP_0.pdf

  • Liu, J. (2014). ReOrienting cultural policy. Cultural statecraft and cultural governance in Taiwan and China. In L. Kim & H. K. Lee (Eds.), Cultural policy in East Asia. Dynamics between the states, arts and creative industries (pp. 120–138). London: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mandel, B. (2016). Arts/cultural management in international contexts. Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matarasso, F. (1997). Use or ornament: The social impact of participation in the arts. London: Comedia Publishing Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meho, L. I. (2006). E-mail interviewing in qualitative research: A methodological discussion. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 57(10), 1284–1295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mörsch, C. (2016). Refugees sind keine Zielgruppe. In M. Ziese & C. Gritschke (Eds.), Geflüchtete und Kulturelle Bildung. Formate und Konzepte für ein neues Praxisfeld (pp. 67–74). Bielefeld: Transcript.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Newsinger, J., & Green, W. (2016). The infrapolitics of cultural value: Cultural policy, evaluation and the marginalisation of practitioner perspectives. Journal of Cultural Economy, 9(4), 382–395.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Brien, D., & Oakley, K. (2015). Cultural value and inequality: A critical literature review. A report commissioned by the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Cultural Value Project. Retrieved February 12, 2019, from https://ahrc.ukri.org/documents/project-reports-and-reviews/cultural-value-and-inequality-a-critical-literature-review/

  • Pilic, I., & Wiederhold, A. (2015). Kunstpraxis in der Migrationsgesellschaft. Transkulturelle Handlungsstrategien am Beispiel der Brunnenpassage Wien. Vienna: KunstSozialRaum Brunnenpassage.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Rösler, B. (2015). The case of the Asialink’s arts residency program: Towards a critical cosmopolitan approach to cultural diplomacy. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 21(4), 20–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rowntree, J., Neal, L., & Fenton, R. (2011). International cultural leadership: Reflections, competencies and interviews. British Council. https://creativeconomy.britishcouncil.org/media/uploads/files/International_Cultural_Leadership_report.pdf

  • Rush, K. (this volume). Value as fiction: An anthropological perspective. In V. Durrer & R. Henze (Eds.), Managing culture: Reflecting on exchange in our global times (pp. 81–96). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shohat, E., & Stam, R. (2005). De-eurocentricizing cultural studies: Some proposals. In A. Abbas & J. Erni (Eds.), Internationalising cultural studies (pp. 481–498). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shome, R. (2012). Asian modernities: Culture, politics and media. Global Media and Communication, 8(3), 199–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Svensson, J. (2018). Die Kunst, Kultur (nicht nur) zu messen. Evaluation im Theater- und Kulturbetrieb. Münster: Lit Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Terkessidis, M. (2015). Kollaboration. Berlin: Suhrkamp Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tonks, A. (2016). The A to Z of arts management. Reflections on theory and reality. Prahran: Tilde Publishing and Distribution.

    Google Scholar 

  • Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. (2019). Retrieved February 21, 2019, from https://estudios.uoc.edu/es/masters-universitarios/gestion-cultura/itinerario

  • Walmsley, B. (2013). Whose value is it anyway? A neo-institutional approach to articulating and evaluating artistic value. Journal of Arts & Communities, 4(3), 199–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Welsch, W. (1994). Transkulturalität—die veränderte Verfassung heutiger Kulturen. In Sichtweisen, Die Vielfalt der Einheit. Weimar: Weimarer Klassik.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, J. (2019). Cultural management: Evolution and education in the world. Hong Kong: Chung Hwa Book Co. (H.K.) Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ziese, M., & Gritschke, C. (2016). Geflüchtete und Kulturelle Bildung. Formate und Konzepte für ein neues Praxisfeld. Bielefeld: Transcript.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Zou, H. (2012). Language identity and cultural difference. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 2(6). Retrieved February 21, 2019, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286258662_Language_Identity_and_Cultural_Difference

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Heilbronn University, Künzelsau, Germany

    Raphaela Henze

Authors
  1. Raphaela Henze
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Raphaela Henze .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK

    Victoria Durrer

  2. Heilbronn University, Künzelsau, Germany

    Raphaela Henze

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Henze, R. (2020). More Than Just Lost in Translation: The Ethnocentrism of Our Frames of Reference and the Underestimated Potential of Multilingualism. In: Durrer, V., Henze, R. (eds) Managing Culture. Sociology of the Arts. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24646-4_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24646-4_3

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-24645-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-24646-4

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation