Gendering cities of culture : city/capital of culture mega-events and the potential for gender equality

In the context of the transformative ambitions of event-based, culture-led urban regeneration, this thesis interrogates the production of cultures of gender equality in City/ Capital of Culture mega-events. Inspired by Donostia/ San Sebastián as European Capital of Culture in 2016 and analysed in detail in Hull’s celebration of the UK City of Culture in 2017, the investigation seeks to understand the relevance of socio-cultural values in the celebration of art, culture and heritage in the urban context. The investigation analyses the City/ Capital of Culture mega-events through a conceptualisation of their socio-cultural significance, which is informed by liminal and carnivalesque event characteristics.Relating to the politics, practices and perceptions of gender equality in mega-events, the research is based on an ethnographic study of six equality- themed events in the field sites of Hull and Donostia/ San Sebastián. The analysis develops from a relational reading of the two sites: due to its strong emphasis on negotiations of socio-cultural values, Donostia/ San Sebastián informs my research focus in Hull.Through this study, I argue for an understanding of City/ Capital of Culture mega-events as ‘contested spaces’ (O’Callaghan, 2012: 201), in which socio-cultural values and, in particular, cultures of gender equality are negotiated. My analysis highlights that the investigated mega-events embrace the complexities of the production of cultures of gender equality as they give voice to different meanings. Rather than a singular notion of equality, cultures of gender equality are celebrated in their plurality through the City/ Capital of Culture framework. I also interrogate the role of audiences as crucial contributors to the meaning-making process of festivals, events and celebrations. Encounters and dynamics with equality are central to the negotiations of socio-cultural values in City/ Capital of Culture mega-events. Beyond audience engagements and content productions, my investigation explores how infrastructures frame the celebrations of equality and can determine the contested spaces of City/ Capital of Culture mega-events as sites for negotiations of socio-cultural values and productions of cultures of gender equality

Eurovision 2023 Cultural Relations Snapshot: A snapshot from the forthcoming cultural relations, soft power and shared values research

About this research In May 2023, Liverpool and the BBC hosted the Eurovision Song Contest on Ukraine’s behalf. This was the first time since 1980 that Eurovision has not been hosted in the previous winning country, and the first time a winner has ever been unable to host because the country is under attack. Researchers at the University of Hull with consultants from the University of Brighton, University of Glasgow, and Royal Holloway, University of London are investigating the cultural relations and ‘soft power’ impact of Eurovision for a study commissioned by the British Council in partnership with Liverpool City Council and DCMS. The study has three pillars: • A literature review surveying the state of the art in research on Eurovision and other largescale cultural and competitive events. • A tracker survey exploring the impact of Eurovision on members of the public in 5 European countries. • Interviews exploring how stakeholders co-operated to create the narrative of Liverpool, the BBC and the UK hosting Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine. We’ve prepared this snapshot ahead of the publication of the full research in January 2023 for the upcoming event ‘Liverpool Calling – And the results are in!’

Culture, Place and Partnership: The Cultural Relations of Eurovision 2023

No abstract available

Soft Power, Cultural Relations and Conflict through Eurovision and Other Mega-events: A Literature Review

No abstract available

Cultural Transformations: The Impacts of Hull UK City of Culture 2017. Main Evaluation, Findings and Reflections

This report forms an important output in the overall process of monitoring, evaluation and research to measure the impacts of Hull UK City of Culture 2017. It provides an assessment of the project across all five impact areas, drawing on a range of primary and secondary data. These data were collected to study the extent to which Hull 2017 activities delivered the nine aims and 20 objectives set out for the project by key funders, stakeholders and partner organisations. The research was carried out by the the Culture, Place and Policy Institute (University of Hull), by the Monitoring and Evaluation team at Hull UK City of Culture 2017 Ltd, and by external consultants, supported by the strategic planning and partnership team at Hull City Council