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Cultural Studies
CULTURAL POLICY
Author:
City
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Baku
Country :
Azerbaijan
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Cultural policy of contemporary Azerbaijan is, first of all, the policy of the country, which for the recent 10 years of its history exists under the guise of Independence. Transformation of the political regime, which caused fundamental changes in the sphere of state organization, economy, social sphere, had an immediate influence on the content and movement of the cultural process. At the same time, in culture, which is the specific form of reflection of the reality validity and touching deep layers of thinking, psychology and social consciousness, the changes were made not so promptly and obviously, as in other spheres. Smooth transition from the “soviet” past into “post-soviet” present and then into the future, which outlines for today are not absolutely clear, are typical for the process, which takes place in the recent years in the cultural life of the country. Theoretically, this process could be called as “velvet revolution” in culture, because the speeds, methods and character of the going on are aimed not to the “changes for the changes”, but for gradual acclimatizing of new reality. It’s necessary to note that culture, unlike political, economical, law-enforcement and educational spheres, was not officially proclaimed as the sphere of reforming. Therefore, culture has been deprived of additional privileges from the state and financial support by international organizations. But the changes both from “the top” and “below” have been going on here without any declarative statements.
What is the main point of these changes? What are the mechanisms of its realization? What is the dynamics of its implementation? Which levels of the society are involved into its realization? All these, and also many other questions invariable arise at everyone who puts before itself a task of description of cultural policy of Azerbaijan at present.
Probably, the most important achievement of the recent 10 years is the changes, which have been happening in the consciousness of the society, which have been gradually releasing from inertial thinking of the preceding years. Forming of new cultural policy in Azerbaijan was not initiated from “the top”, it was the process’s reflection, happening in the real life. Impetuously changing social and cultural context of the present time, accelerating globalization processes, redistribution of the priorities in the cultural sphere, active invasion of massive culture and cultural industries into the common panorama of cultural life, communicational explosion in the sphere of preservation and relay of art heritage, and, at last, clear realization of culture as a necessary factor of development created the basis for different principal understanding of culture, hence, cultural policy too. For this, realistic cultural policy must take into account all difficulties and contradictions of the period of transition, all realities of preceding and present time.
In Azerbaijan, this difficult and painful process was going on the background of the armed conflict in Nagorniy Garabakh, forced from outside, during which 20 per cents of the country’s territory was occupied, and about one million of the inhabitants of Azerbaijan are still refugees and displaced people, according the official data of the UN. As a result of the occupation of Nagorniy Garabakh and adjoining 7 administrative districts - Kalbadjar, Agdam, Lachin, Djabrail, Gubadli, Zangelan, Fizuli - the infrastructure of cultural institutions was completely destroyed. 927 libraries, 808 cultural Palaces, clubs and houses, 85 musical and artistic schools, 22 museums, 4 art galleries and religious buildings have been left on the occupied territories. A large part of museum exhibits has been lost irrevocably. But the severest affects have been reflected on the humans. The huge human massive, forcibly displaced from the traditional territories of their inhabitance, alike the difficulties of social character, seemed to be practically devoid of the access to culture.
Is it possible to administer culture?
During many centuries of coexistence of culture and the state, this question not only has not lost the urgency, but also has got new sense in conditions of the developing civil society. Today, administering culture is called to carry out legal and financial providing of this sphere and work out a strategic line of the whole cultural sphere’s development, refusing from the command-administrative method. These functions are realized in Azerbaijan via the multilevel system, consisting of:
Permanent Parliamentary Committee on Cultural Issues and Department of Social Legislation of the Azerbaijan Parliament (Milli Medjlis), providing legislative basis for culture;
Department of Humanitarian Policies of the Presidential Office, developing strategies and tactics for cultural development;
Department of Science, Culture, National Education and Social Issues of the Cabinet of Ministers, drafting the state budget of the Republic of Azerbaijan and responsible for the implementation of state social programs;
Ministry of Culture is a centre where all above-mentioned functions are joined together and where the realisation, management and monitoring of national cultural policy are carried out. The Ministry is headed by the Minister of Culture of the Republic. Three Deputy Ministers with their own fields of responsibilities are in the structure of the administrative board.
The Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan, which is in the consisting of the Republic of Azerbaijan, has its own Parliament, Cabinet of Ministers and Ministry of Culture. The constitution and the laws of the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan have to be in line with those of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This means that despite its autonomous status, cultural policy of the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan is in cultural policy of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
There are four cultural departments in the Republic, which are located in the largest cities of Baku, Ganja, Sumgait and Khankendi.
7 towns and 61 administrative districts (rayons) of the Republic of Azerbaijan have Departments of Culture.
In all parameters such structure is closest to the fourth model of cultural policy (widespread in France and former Soviet Union) which assumes strong administration, powerful financial support from the state, stimulation and coordination of activity of all partners on cultural life, in particular, regional and local communities, the various professional organizations. Certainly, in many respects, such model is heritage of the Soviet past. And it is natural, as, in many respects, people, who form cultural policy, are the “hostages” of historical traditions of their country, its state system, the current political and economic situation, national mentality, arrangement of forces inside the most artistic and art elite. At the same time, cultural policy is a young science. It promptly grows, involves the increasing quantity of the states into the sphere of active action, stimulates an informational and intellectual exchange between them. In a result, all this makes the various countries to put together their positions and promotes progress of their positive experience on the world arena. Such international organizations, as UNESCO and the Council of Europe play significant role in activating the given process.
Comparative studying of the world practice of cultural policy promoted expansion of the concept of culture which by some authors is considered today in the widest context as the sum of achievements of human activity in many areas, including mythology, religion, art, philosophy, literature, manufacture, technology - all that was created by a human, in difference with his biological nature.
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