Desiderius Erasmus: 1469 . 1536
. Heel de wereld is je vaderland. .
. Getting to grips with the
problems of this age is troublesome. Analysing them is even more difficult, given
the fact that the analyst is part of the period under scrutiny. Choosing the
proper path is by far the hardest. Using a different age as a mirror can prove
helpful. . (from: The travels of Erasmus, April 1999, programme
description of the Dutch Humanist Broadcasting Group - Humanistische Omroep
Nederland). Desiderius Erasmus serves as a source of information for this age.
Erasmus propagated tolerance and forbearance in a radically changing Europe
during the Middle Ages. Europe was both a region torn by religious strife and a
society developing at a rapid pace thanks to the invention of the printing
press.
Nowadays, social cohesion is once
again straining under rapidly increasing cultural diversity. Today, the concepts of
tolerance and forbearance are heralded as more important than ever before. At
the same time, the realisation is dawning that tolerance without engagement is
worthless. This age requires an open dialogue and a meeting of cultures, if
not a respectful confrontation. Subsequently, cultural resolve is required, from
all sides. But perhaps Erasmus, now immortalised in front of the Laurenskerk, head
bowed, engrossed in a book, once again shows us the path: . I yield
to no one. .
Erasmus
2001
This report presents the
agenda with respect to content for the Erasmus 2001 project.
Erasmus 2001 stems from
Rotterdam 2001 Cultural Capital of Europe (Rotterdam 2001). Since its recent
inception, the project has featured multiple monikers, and consequently
multiple directions with regard to content: Erasmus 7+1, Seven plus One,
Erasmus Now and Erasmus 2001.
The restart of Erasmus 2001
converges with the final report issued by Han Bakker and Ineke Schwartz
(January 2001). In the present incarnation, the project has distanced itself
from Rotterdam 2001, without abandoning any of the basic starting points with
regard to content. During recent months, the Rotterdam 2001 organisation
stirred up an impressive breeding ground in the city of Rotterdam, and every
future project will reap the benefits. That includes Erasmus 2001.
The project runs from 1
May 2001 until 1 April 2002. The project will conclude with the transfer of the
Erasmus 2001 agenda to the City of Rotterdam.
In this report, the
following points will be addressed:
1. Objective and
Framework of Contents
2. Project Design and
Agenda Contents
3. Presentation and
Project Planning
1 Objective and Framework of Contents
1.1 Erasmus 2001 Objective
Erasmus 2001 intends to
map out and investigate the concrete themes and practices of cultural diversity
in the area of art and culture and social aspects of society. Along with
striving for an optimal transfer of knowledge and insight, the goal is to
develop the themes of Erasmus 2001 in such a way that results in Rotterdam
forming networks with other European cities, and that these networks will
continue to serve as think tanks and sources of inspiration for the municipal
agenda in the years to come. The themes and practices will be commuted to
existing petitioners in order to allow these networks to continue to function.
Parts of Erasmus 2001 are also expected to be transferred to future European
cultural capitals, such as Graz (2003) and Lille (2004).
1.2 Content Framework: Culture of
Contrast
The fragmented and heterogeneous character of
today. s society is one of the most noticeable qualities of
the age. Starting in the 1950s, our living environment has experienced rapid
change. During recent years, this process has continued against a
backdrop of a growing number of new residents in the Netherlands. As a result,
a correlation has been made between the rash of changes in the Netherlands and
the large number of . aliens. . But the prevailing cultural
diversity has its roots in many different sources. Beneath the surface of a
multi-ethnic society, a huge, silent, non-ethnic shift has occurred in Dutch
society. The transition from a homogenous society ruled by religion and family
to a secular, liberal and modern society has meant enormous change for each and
every individual resident. Over the years, Dutch society has visibly changed
socially, culturally and ethnically. As a result, each of these facets of
society has become increasingly culturally diverse.
To put it briefly, there are
two processes in Dutch society requiring attention: a gradual process of modernisation
ushered in decades ago, and an urgent process of transforming into
an ethnically diverse society. In time, these processes lead to an irreversible
rearrangement of the existing cultural order. The course of developing
into a multicultural society inherently involves the quest for the path
to this rearrangement. In any case, the development of our culture has left
indelible tracks. A return to the past is now dismissed as unfeasible. Not that
history is no longer relevant; but nostalgic answers to today. s questions
are pointless. There is no way back.
But the path of wide-eyed
optimism, fostered by behaving with respect and being open in order to create
room for a new mosaic of cultures, likewise seems more a dream than having any
semblance of reality. Nor is the opposing picture, that diversity implicitly
leads to danger and decay, with the heavy undertone of a strict and closed
policy of integration, any more realistic.
The reality is that the number
of different cultural expressions in the Netherlands (as well as Europe) will
only increase during the coming years, regardless of how this occurs. The results
are initially visible in the larger urban areas, nationally and internationally,
where the unwritten law of . the bigger the city, the greater
the diversity. applies.
The process of cultural
diversity is a concrete reality. This reality calls for the recognition of the
culture of contrast. Cultural differences exist and will, to a varying degree,
always exist. This recognition, or stronger yet acceptance, of cultural
diversity heralds an administrative and intellectual assignment to examine the
meaning of it. The objective is to make a serious attempt to gain insight into
how cultures coexist, or in other words, how the process of acculturation
works. Along with historical and cultural consciousness, this also requires the
willingness to listen to what is actually transpiring in the different cultural
groups. The question of the culture of contrast plays just as pressing and
relevant a role in these groups as it does for other Dutch residents. It is
after all the newcomers who must find a new and safe haven in strange
surroundings, and the culture of contrast is equally real and often painful.
Moreover, the answer to the question of the culture of contrast will always be
multi-hued, because the Netherlands will never again be the exclusive domain of
the Dutch.
1.3 Urban Anthropology
The Netherlands, as well
as the rest of Europe, is on the threshold of becoming a multi-ethnic society.
Little is known on how to set up a multicultural society. For Europe, the
Balkans serve as a grim worst case scenario. But even long-standing
multicultural countries such as the United States, Canada and the United
Kingdom do not offer any clear picture. The answers being sought nowadays are
often forced to take on a pragmatic or rational nature. All too often, concepts
such as integration and assimilation lack the sophistication needed to describe
culturally subtle or politically sensitive processes. What actually occurs when
cultures permanently coexist? Does this irrevocably lead to delineation, isolation
(segregation) or intense confrontations (see Volkskrant, 12 May 2001, Karin
Armstrong. Angstige Godsdienst). Is there in fact sufficient
idea of distinction in what anthropologists refer to as . cold. interpolation
by simply taking the rational route of integration and participation versus a
. warm. integration based on . loyalty to traditional social
ties (such as family, neighbourhood, city, village, region) or shared cultural
traditions (such as language, dialect and religion). (Ger Duijzings. Commentary
by a Balkan expert on MRDV. s Brabantstad 2050, 2000). In any case,
the dynamic of the cultural transfer takes place on the boundary of the
difference. What shapes do these border contacts assume? Do any cultural
crossovers appear, and are any new bridges built? Or are cultural expressions
assimilated, copied or simply annexed? Do these boundary contacts also take on
new shapes that show no sign of integration or assimilation, but instead
display a completely new character? Will these shapes, rising from an organic
route, possibly lead toward new cultural identities?
The process of multiculturisation
is far more complex than current policy language has tried to
express. There is a need for new knowledge that provides insight into the dynamic
among various ethnic cultures, the process of identity formation and the
meaning of the cultural two-sided perspective of the second and third generation
newcomers. A need has arisen for traditions geared towards today. s
issues and urban anthropology serves as a modern component. Together with other
new disciplines, urban anthropology can most likely help to find answers to the
questions formulated here.
2 Project Design and Agenda Contents
2.1 Project Design
Cultural diversity is
strongest in border areas. This is where new developments take place, where
something new is made or adopted. These cultural exchange sites serve as the
centre of growth for pluriformity. In our culture, certain forms of expression
seem more susceptible to cultural transfer than others. Especially those
processes that do not have an argumentative nature: visuals, taste, sound,
colour and fashion seem more like obvious cultural exchanges than anything
else. Look at music: classic, jazz or pop, or at international cuisine, fashion
or street culture. In the culture of contrast, these areas seem way ahead of
the times and seem to have little difficulty in blazing new trails.
This is a marked contrast
to how it often works in interpersonal relationships, where the transfer of
cultures is frequently awkward, if not coloured by confrontation or slow to
develop. Individuals involved in the health care and social work sectors,
education and the labour process will generally be more acutely aware of
cultural differences than those in the arts, for example.
The Erasmus 2001 project
investigates concrete sites where the necessity to transfer culture is
unmistakable, and where an answer is sought to the culture of contrast:
casually or urgently. The sites concern demonstrable locations, events,
processes or institutions where something new has actually occurred or where a
struggle is underway to find an answer. In this sense, unsuccessful projects
are just as interesting as they are cultural practices. The project involves
pioneers in the new cultural frontier, which will be meticulously mapped out.
Given the possible distinction between argumentative and interpersonal
processes, a group of four to five practices have been chosen from the
artistic-cultural domain and four to five from the social domain. A
spokesperson who can translate these practices in terms of cultural transfer
will be selected who can also link them to a specific medium: an account, a
publication or presentable or tangible projects. The spokesperson will serve as
a project leader or producer.
Two think tanks will
track and support these two cultural and social domains, grouping them
according to the themes of the presentation of art in the future and the design
of the social agenda in the 21st century. These study groups have
the task to analyse and translate the sites, using insights into the sites to
describe the social and cultural agenda of the future.
The entire project will
be supervised by a municipal steering committee, consisting of several
managers, scientists and delegates from the business community. This steering
committee has the job to preserve the harmony of Erasmus 2001 with the
municipal agenda, as well as addressing and lending concrete form to the
various projects in the City of Rotterdam.
Individuals are still
being sought to join the steering committee and both think tanks. The first
meetings are scheduled to take place in September 2001.
2.2 Agenda Contents
The projects are
divisible into cultural and social themes. Deployment and formulation of the
problem has been structured on an individual project basis, as well as the
procedure and objective. Each project will be appointed a petitioner to ensure
its continuation. For this purpose, partners have already been assigned
wherever possible.
Not every theme mentioned
here can be explored in the scope of this project; the agenda is simply too
extensive. Third parties are expected to take on some aspects of the agenda;
other projects will remain thematic and will not be developed. A concrete
agenda will be carried out, of course. In September 2001, this project agenda
will be submitted to the steering committee, which will evaluate it based on
the following criteria:
·
a specific project bearer
has been appointed who will provide leadership;
·
the project is involved
in a national or international network, which reinforces the quality of the
project;
·
the project is
presentable and can be transferred to a petitioner.
2.2.1 Cultural Themes
World music
Traditionally, music is
an art form open to influence: folk music in classical music, cultural
influences on musical genres, crossovers, etc. The Rotterdam Conservatory is
the first and only one in the Netherlands to establish a World Music faculty.
Additional cultural influences can be introduced into the curriculum with the help
of an international network.
Procedure: Research the
process of acculturation in musical developments in a European context.
Result: Reinforcing the
European network by:
·
organising an
international mini-conference for the sake of a contribution to curriculum
contents: intercultural music history or anthropology of music;
·
a musical exchange among
European conservatories by way of a festival, master classes and a lecture
series.
Partner: Rotterdam
Conservatory.
Library
The library is seeking to
find a new role in the digital age: one as a traditional and one as a virtual
library, as a modern information broker and as an open meeting place for its
thousands of visitors. The Rotterdam Library is about to undergo structural
renovations, which will both transform it from a traditional institution into a
digital library, as well as create a contemporary public facility.
Procedure: Develop a
network of expertise and a relationship with the public to receive inspiration
outside the field of the librarian.
Result: Presenting a list
of demands for the library of the future by:
·
organising national and
international workshops on the future of the library;
·
conducting a public
survey on the future of the library;
·
developing a culturally
diverse programme offering for the library theatre (see oral culture).
Partner: Rotterdam
Library.
Theater Zuidplein
Theater Zuidplein wants to
take centre stage in the cultural diversity. Three years ago, the venue altered
its strategy from offering various acts into one of taking requests in order
to forge a close relationship with its culturally diverse audience. In the
. community theatre. aspect, noticeable changes have been made as far as
approaching the audience, presenting the calendar of events and the way in
which the theatre develops stage productions.
Procedure: Exchanging
expertise and information with comparable European theatres and gaining further
insight into theatre and cultural diversity.
Result: Expanding and
continuing an existing European network by:
·
organising a follow-up
meeting in 2001 in Rotterdam;
·
organising a public presentation
of the . community theatre. surrounding this meeting.
Partner: Theater Zuidplein.
The new elite
Who leads the debate on
the new residents? Who are the spokespersons for the new ethnic communities?
How much intellectual room is there to ponder a new cultural order. The
creation of a European network for New European intellectuals and possibly the
start of a new European magazine.
Procedure: Develop a
national and international network of young intellectual Europeans and
reinforcing their role in the multicultural debate.
Result: Publish a new
national or if possible international magazine.
Partner: RKS.
Breeding grounds
What is new talent? How
do you discover new cultural growth from different ethnic backgrounds? How do
they find their voice, what are their natural platforms? In other words, how do
you track down new intercultural artistic expression?
Procedure: Develop a
safety net for new multicultural talent;
Result: Strengthen the quality
of new artists to municipal or governmental subsidy level.
Partner: RKS in
cooperation with the Phenix Foundation.
Unpacking Europe
Today. s Europe presents
itself as a cultural entity in the Eurocentric tradition. Nevertheless, the
variety of ethnic cultures is only growing and Europe is actually becoming a
fragmented and culturally diverse society, instead of one characterised by
homogeneity. In Berlin and Rotterdam (Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum), 20
non-European artists will be invited to present their interpretations of
Europe.
Procedure: A visual
commentary on the idea of European unity.
Result: Critical
reflection from Dutch-speaking artists on this exhibition as the closing show.
Partner: Boijmans Van Beuningen.
Art as public places
Each neighbourhood
features its own specific social and economic structure. In some areas, often
those with an ethnic background, craftsmanship and small business have become
visible typifying characteristics. When an artist zeroes in on this
neighbourhood-related economy, art can help reinforce the strictly local
activity. In other words, can art form a relationship with socio-economic
processes and in so doing mobilise either a neighbourhood or an area of the
city to make cultural contributions, also in the case of impoverished pockets
of the city.
Procedure: Urban renewal
in a neighbourhood (the social structure, local economy, informal processes) as
art.
Result: Develop an art
project as a public place by:
·
designing a site with a
parallel workshop, in which specific themes and aspects of the neighbourhood
are analysed;
·
fostering cooperation
between residents and artists to crystallise the project;
·
initiating a pilot
project.
Partner: Jeanne van
Heeswijk, Centre for the Visual Arts.
Fashion
Fashion represents glamour
and image. Perhaps this is what makes it one of the most flexible and sensitive
art forms, and one which can easily focus on cultural diversity.
Procedure: Study the
cultural exchanges in the fashion design process.
Result: Identify the
cultural influences in fashion/on the catwalk, and develop an associated topic
of study: cultural anthropology of fashion.
Partner: Willem de
Kooning Academy, Fashion Department; Wereldmuseum Rotterdam.
Local broadcast media
The gap between the
Global Village and the range of the local broadcast media is large; too large
in fact. How well does the local broadcast media serve as the voice of all
Rotterdam residents, or is the future of local stations to specialise in target
audiences. Is journalistic cultural diversity the answer, or should society
strive to achieve a type of culturally integrated journalism.
Procedure: Develop a
city-wide network based on research and visits from European examples.
Result: Reinforcing a
culturally diverse type of journalism based on programming and staff.
Partners: Rijnmond Radio
and TV.
Praemium Erasmianum
As part of awarding the Erasmus Prize
2001 under the theme of . Fault Lines in Europe. , the Praemium
Erasmianum foundation is organising a conference of the same name surrounding
the laureates Claudio Magris and Adam Michnik.
Procedure: A content
study into the future of Europe.
Result: A conference.
Partner: Praemium
Erasmianum.
2.2.2 Social Themes
Building multicultural
housing
How do you design a
residential area that must be flexible enough to accommodate changing ethnic
groups? Do you take the changing makeup of a neighbourhood when designing it,
drawing up blueprints for the houses and the layout of the area? Is it
possible, or stronger yet is it impossible, to increase cultural diversity in
housing construction? In Rotterdam, tenants. associations and housing
corporations are already busy exploring this topic. The know-how in this field
must serve as the guiding light for sweeping renovations and renewal of the
Hoogvliet neighbourhood.
Procedure: Acquire
knowledge and insight into cultural diversity in housing, architecture and
urban planning.
Result: Organise a
commencement conference and designing a programme.
Partners: IBT Hoogvliet.
Primary health care
Physicians,
crisis centres and social workers possibly first detect any cultural changes.
Part of the treatment requires an exchange between two cultures. To what degree
is the health care sector equipped to serve new cultures: does the physician
understand the patient, can the patient verbalise symptoms, does training
comprise knowledge in this aspect of health care, are the psychological and
psychiatric classification systems (DSM IV) geared to symptoms from other
cultures.
Procedure: Offer insight
into and identify problems accompanying cultural diversity in health care.
Result: A type of
presentation on cultural diversity in primary health care, for example: a
documentary (Ikon, Teleac), an exhibition or a play (Hollandia).
Partners: Health care
institutions, training facilities.
Religion, ethnicity and
citizenship
Religion divides or
religion transcends. Religion is one of the traditional distinguishing traits
of an ethnic culture. Freedom of religion also often means accepting others.
cultural identities. At the same time, religion offers many individuals shelter
against an overly modern interpretation of society and religious beliefs can
clash with a libertarian ideology.
Procedure: Stimulate a
discussion on religion, ethnicity and citizenship.
Result: Preaching to someone else. s
congregation and taking over someone else. s pulpit (confrontational
discussions): an international debate on religion, state and ethnicity.
Partner: RKS,
Laurenskerk.
The ethnic football club
Team sports have always been considered important,
and their role in today. s society is only growing more important.
According to some, sport builds a protective barrier against extreme individualisation
(David Putnam, Bowling Alone). Others have assigned sport a
role in fostering acculturation with the slogan . sport creates family ties.
. The desire and need to integrate multiple cultures in a club setting is
understandable. But does it actually work, and what sort, if any, of reference
material is available?
Procedure: Investigate
the role of a multicultural football club in a neighbourhood with international
material for comparison.
Result: A presentation of
this data in documentary form and a workshop during an international youth
tournament of ethnic football clubs.
Partners: Bureau Sonor, St. Verweij Jonker.
The history of
neighbourhood approach
A city isn. t a city
without its troubled areas. A long history of the neighbourhood approach
already exists according to the development of increasing cultural diversity:
secularisation, removing traditional religious and socio-political barriers,
individualisation, erosion of social cohesion and multi-ethnicity. What type of
strategies have been applied, what were the accompanying expectations, what was
the result and what was the evaluation? A comparative study at a European level
using a prototype neighbourhood with every type of approach: Opzoomeren, Crazy Priest, City Safari,
project Thuis op Straat, Buren, etc.
Procedure: Share success
and failure stories about various neighbourhoods approached at an international
level.
Result: Organise a
conference, documentary and exhibition on the theme of making an international
comparison of the urban metropolis policy.
Partner: Urban
Development and Public Housing Authority, City of Rotterdam.
Funeral rituals
We all have the same
blood, or the fact that we are all going to die one day, sounds like the
ultimate principle of equality in the multicultural debate.
Everyone is born,
everyone dies. Everyone enters the world through the same doorway, and sooner
or later we all make our departure. An international study comparing the
influence of cultural diversity on funeral customs, the actual room for new
rituals (practical, insurance and technical aspects), changes in the grieving
process and individual farewell.
Procedure: A study of the
cultural shifts in funerary rituals, a historical and internationally
comparative investigation.
Result: A
cultural-historical comparison in terms of:
·
migrant studies and
historical research;
·
an exhibition and
publication of stories or photos.
Partner: Ministry of
Internal Affairs, Funeral Directors. Association.
Safety and the sense of
danger
Where fashion seems to
effortlessly lend itself to the possibilities of the multicultural society, the
sense of street safety is seemingly inseparable from judgements (prejudices) on
ethnic cultures. Safety and crime are one of the most sensitive topics in the
multicultural agenda. The fear for personal safety apparently rises
proportionally with the number of immigrants. And yet the statistics paint an
entirely different picture than the one based on expressed fears. Fact and
fiction are at odds when it comes to the sense of danger on the street.
Procedure: An
international comparative study, perhaps with a commencement conference.
Result: An inventory of
possibilities.
Partner: Safety Office,
City of Rotterdam.
3 Presentation and Project Planning
The Erasmus 2001 project
is planned to take place at different times. The idea is to take advantage of
existing, major and smaller opportunities in order to achieve maximum exposure
for the project.
Erasmus 2001 project
planning is designed to foster the transfer of various researched examples and
sites during a large-scale closing event in March 2002.
The agenda for the
presentation opportunities and the project planning is as follows:
3.1 Presentation
. November 2001 Praemium Erasmianum Conference
Metropolis Conference in
Rotterdam
. December 2001 IETM-network
conference, Theater Zuidplein
Opening: Unpacking Europe, Museum
Boijmans Van Beuningen
. January 2002 Closing lecture: 100 years of
Rotterdam Nightlife in cooperation with Rotterdam Historical Museum
. February 2002 Closing conference: Unpacking Europe
together with Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum
. March 2002 Two media debates on the Future of
Europe in cooperation with European Cultural Institutes (Goethe Institute,
etc.)
. March 2002 Urban Metropolis Policy closing
conference, Erasmus 2001 manifestation in cooperation with Urban Planning and
Public Housing Authority, City of Rotterdam
3.2 Planning
. May 2001 Draw
up preliminary content agenda
. June 2001 Initiate
group projects: content and assign network
. July 2001 Steering
group proposal, think tanks
Determine
preliminary programme, draft budget
.
August 2001 First
steering group meeting, design programme
First
think tank meeting
Recruit
freelance employees, project spokespersons
.
October 2002 Think
tank second round
Steering group second round
Check project progress
Ascertain project planning and project transfer
Rotterdam, July 2001
