A Spaniard in Hertfordshire : the intellectual exile of Arturo Barea

This thesis explores the role of exile in the work of the Spanish Republican Arturo Barea (1897-1957). It suggests that, linked to the movements that exile generates (physical, social and intellectual), the concept of ‘transnational’ can be used as an analytical tool with which to interrogate Barea’s work and its interpretations. It was during his exile in Britain that Barea became a professional writer, a literary critic and a broadcaster for the BBC. He published his autobiographical trilogy The Forging of a Rebel, edited by T.S. Eliot, in London between 1941 and 1946. This work was immediately translated into several languages, but was only printed in Spanish in its Argentinian edition of 1951, and was not published in Spain until 1977. Through a combined reading of the trilogy alongside a larger body of fictional and non-fictional work the thesis offers a detailed historical analysis of the first context of production and reception of Barea’s writing in Britain, focusing on the period of 1938-1945. It highlights the challenges and opportunities of exile as a transnational and cosmopolitan experience, and demonstrates the different ways in which the homeland and the host state intersect in Barea’s work. Barea’s writings are read here as exercises of cross-cultural translation in which Spain, its people and the Spanish Civil War were construed for a British – and later international – public, while Britain, its people and their role in the Second World War were also interpreted for a Latin American audience. This thesis emphasizes the historical importance of the informal intellectual networks, the publishing landscape, and the ‘corporate cosmopolitanism’ of the BBC as the institutional sites in which Barea developed his work. A transnational and cosmopolitan approach can offer an avenue to analyse Spanish Republican exile cultural products in a wider historical setting

Soft power and its audiences: Tweeting the Olympics from London 2012 to Sochi 2014

The ‘Tweeting the Olympics’ project (the subject of this special section of Participations) must be understood in the context of efforts by host states, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and other actors involved in the Games to cultivate and communicate a set of meanings to audiences about both the Olympics events and the nations taking part. Olympic Games are not only sporting competitions; they are also exercises in the management of relations between states and publics, at home and overseas, in order to augment the attractiveness and influence or the soft power of the states involved. Soft power is most successful when it goes unnoticed according to its chief proponent Joseph Nye. If so, how can we possibly know whether soft power works? This article reviews the state of the field in thinking about public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy and soft power in the period of this project (2012-14), focusing particularly on how the audiences of soft power projects, like the London and Sochi Games, were conceived and addressed. One of the key questions this project addresses is whether international broadcasters such as the BBCWS and RT used social media during the Games to promote a cosmopolitan dialogue with global audiences and/or merely to integrate social media so as to project and shape national soft power. We argue first that the contested nature of the Olympic Games calls into question received theories of soft power, public and cultural diplomacy. Second, strategic national narratives during the Olympics faced additional challenges, particularly due to the tensions between the national and the international character of the Games. Third, the new media ecology and shift to a network paradigm further threatens the asymmetric power relations of the broadcasting paradigm forcing broadcasters to reassess their engagement with what was formerly known as ‘the audience’ and the targets of soft power

A Spaniard in Hertfordshire : the intellectual exile of Arturo Barea

This thesis explores the role of exile in the work of the Spanish Republican Arturo Barea (1897-1957). It suggests that, linked to the movements that exile generates (physical, social and intellectual), the concept of ‘transnational’ can be used as an analytical tool with which to interrogate Barea’s work and its interpretations. It was during his exile in Britain that Barea became a professional writer, a literary critic and a broadcaster for the BBC. He published his autobiographical trilogy The Forging of a Rebel, edited by T.S. Eliot, in London between 1941 and 1946. This work was immediately translated into several languages, but was only printed in Spanish in its Argentinian edition of 1951, and was not published in Spain until 1977. Through a combined reading of the trilogy alongside a larger body of fictional and non-fictional work the thesis offers a detailed historical analysis of the first context of production and reception of Barea’s writing in Britain, focusing on the period of 1938-1945. It highlights the challenges and opportunities of exile as a transnational and cosmopolitan experience, and demonstrates the different ways in which the homeland and the host state intersect in Barea’s work. Barea’s writings are read here as exercises of cross-cultural translation in which Spain, its people and the Spanish Civil War were construed for a British – and later international – public, while Britain, its people and their role in the Second World War were also interpreted for a Latin American audience. This thesis emphasizes the historical importance of the informal intellectual networks, the publishing landscape, and the ‘corporate cosmopolitanism’ of the BBC as the institutional sites in which Barea developed his work. A transnational and cosmopolitan approach can offer an avenue to analyse Spanish Republican exile cultural products in a wider historical setting

Crypto art and questions of value: a review of emergent issues

This discussion paper offers an introductory overview of and reference guide to crypto art, including how it is supported by non-fungible tokens (NFTs). It is intended to inform researchers, those working in cultural institutions in the public, private or non-profit sectors, and artists who wish to better understand what is at stake as blockchain technologies and logics are introduced within arts and cultural contexts. We present a number of key emergent debates about crypto art in relation to [1] its value, [2] business models [3] scarcity, authenticity and ownership, [4] sustainability, [5] collections, storage and archives, and [6] hybridity. Although not wholly new considerations within arts and culture, technological developments and the intensification of crypto art’s appeal within the consumer market mean these debates are likely to escalate in the short to medium term. The paper concludes with recommendations for further research, and a full reference list as a resource for anyone wanting to know more

Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the arts and cultural sector: British newspaper reporting of the Culture Recovery Fund

This Discussion Paper presents the findings of a study examining British newspaper coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) from 1 January to 31 December 2020 (n.4,162).It assesses the broad contours of this coverage before focusing on a pivotal week – 3 to 10 July – where we find the highest concentration of items reporting on the Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) and on freelancers in the arts and cultural sector (n.215). We explore the following questions: (1) how are issues central to the Culture Recovery Fund and freelancers framed / represented in the coverage? (2) How is the government response to the crisis in the cultural and creative industries characterised and responsibility ttributed?; (3) what actors (sectors, institutions, ocations) are present in the coverage, which ones are the key sources, and how are their views represented? We found that the framing of the issues in news items mostly offered narrow parameters of discussion, proving overly reliant upon official press releases, and affording space to a limited range of voices

Negotiating hybridity, inequality, and hyper-visibility: museums and galleries? Social media response to the COVID-19 pandemic

This article examines the impacts of COVID-19 on the digital work of museums and galleries in the UK, 2020–2021. Focusing on social media activity, we explore two questions: (1) How did approaches to, and institutional perceptions of, social media shift during the pandemic? and (2) Looking to the future, what practical and theoretical challenges do social media present for museums and galleries, and what are the related policy implications? The discussion draws on a mixed-methods study including an analysis of 9000 tweets, and reflective semi-structured interviews with 19 digital workers. Our findings can help shape global digital heritage practices as we emerge from the pandemic, enabling more dynamic and meaningful forms of cultural participation, and underpinning more confident and ethical social media trajectories

Implications of the COVID-19 digital ‘pivot’ in museums and galleries: lessons from practitioners

As the UK went into full lockdown in March 2020, museums and galleries were faced with the prospect of having no visitors and limited audiences for the foreseeable future. As a result, many institutions turned to digital as a way of staying connected to their audiences. They began to experiment with new ways of opening up their collections through online platforms. For some organisations, this meant accelerating the digital strategies that they already had in place. For others, they needed to quickly learn how to innovate in order to retain and build audiences through digital systems. This research looks at how museums and galleries experienced this ‘pivot to digital’. It examines some of the lessons learnt by these organisations, and sets out some best practice principles for the sector going forward. There are some fascinating insights that shed light on a sector that has struggled in the face of lockdowns and restrictions on physical visitor numbers. Communications officers who were responsible for producing digital outputs suddenly had a hugely increased workload and more responsibility. Some people reported that this pivot forced their organisation to change for the better, transforming how they engage with audiences and plan for the future. Others felt that they were put under pressure to create products and deliver online services that weren’t feasible or necessarily what they felt audiences actually wanted. The research is based on a series of interviews held with the people working for museums and galleries who are responsible for producing digital content during the pandemic. Among other questions, the researchers wanted to find out how the pandemic has changed people’s approaches to digital engagement, whether they were engaging with audiences in new ways, and whether attitudes about the value of digital platforms had changed

Soft power and its audiences: Tweeting the Olympics from London 2012 to Sochi 2014

The ‘Tweeting the Olympics’ project (the subject of this special section of Participations) must be understood in the context of efforts by host states, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and other actors involved in the Games to cultivate and communicate a set of meanings to audiences about both the Olympics events and the nations taking part. Olympic Games are not only sporting competitions; they are also exercises in the management of relations between states and publics, at home and overseas, in order to augment the attractiveness and influence or the soft power of the states involved. Soft power is most successful when it goes unnoticed according to its chief proponent Joseph Nye. If so, how can we possibly know whether soft power works? This article reviews the state of the field in thinking about public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy and soft power in the period of this project (2012-14), focusing particularly on how the audiences of soft power projects, like the London and Sochi Games, were conceived and addressed. One of the key questions this project addresses is whether international broadcasters such as the BBCWS and RT used social media during the Games to promote a cosmopolitan dialogue with global audiences and/or merely to integrate social media so as to project and shape national soft power. We argue first that the contested nature of the Olympic Games calls into question received theories of soft power, public and cultural diplomacy. Second, strategic national narratives during the Olympics faced additional challenges, particularly due to the tensions between the national and the international character of the Games. Third, the new media ecology and shift to a network paradigm further threatens the asymmetric power relations of the broadcasting paradigm forcing broadcasters to reassess their engagement with what was formerly known as ‘the audience’ and the targets of soft power

Cultural value: cultural relations in societies in transition: a literature review

The Cultural Value Project is a joint research project commissioned by the British Council and the Goethe-Institut. It aims to build a better understanding of the impact and value of cultural relations in terms of their ability to make a difference, in particular to supporting stability and prosperity in societies going through substantial change. As part of the research, the partners have undertaken a detailed literature review. This draws on a detailed investigation of the existing academic literature in German and English on cultural relations, soft power, and related concepts