Institute for International Relations

Fields of Study

The Department for Culture and Communication is engaged in cultural research and analysis, especially in the field of cultural identities, cultural policies and cultural cooperation, with a particular focus on the Croatian integration process into the EU. It also concentrates on new forms of intercultural communication and media policies. Primary research areas include cultural development, cultural identity, cultural space, cultural diversity, cultural policies, intercultural communication, digital culture, cultural industries and cultural tourism in their interdisciplinary environment. The Department investigates changes of the Croatian cultural identities taking place in the global and the European context, under the influences that characterize the global contemporary cultural development: globalization of cultural trends and creation of local responses, acceptance of cultural diversity as a functional development concept, intercultural communication, development of digital culture, spread of cultural industries, and cultural integrations and disintegrations.

Activities

The Department's main areas of activity include:

• scientific and applied research,
• education and training in the field of cultural and media studies, and
• development of information services supporting cultural research and cooperation.

Scientific and Applied Research

The Department's research programme is currently conducted through two three-year projects:

• Cultural Diversity, Intercultural Communication and Digital Culture, and
• Global Influences and Local Cultural Changes.

The Department is also continuously engaged in various applied research projects.

Education and Training

The Department frequently organizes seminars, workshops and conferences in order to disseminate its research results, thus contributing to international and national research cooperation.

Members of the Department participate in higher education programmes of other institutions (e.g. the Universities of Zagreb, Rijeka and Zadar, the Belgrade University of Arts, and the University of Bucharest), and offer specialized graduate courses in cooperation with other institutions (Inter-University Center, IUC, Dubrovnik).

The Department contributes to the graduate education of its young researchers, and encourages their participation at seminars and conferences. Occasionally, it also accepts interns from compatible international higher education programmes.

Information Services

International cooperation and partnership with networks and institutions in the field of cultural development has been developed through the framework of the Culturelink Network, a global network for research and cooperation in cultural development, coordinated by the Department.

The Department's information services centre around Culturelink - its main information dissemination activities include:

• regular publishing activities - including an electroni
• regular updating of the Culturelink WWW Resource Centre - compiling and disseminating information on new concepts, research challenges, trends, practices and experiences in cultural policy, cultural management and development strategies; and.
• maintenance of the Documentation Centre for Cultural Development and Cooperation - holding numerous documents, books and periodicals registered in the Bibliographical Database.

Partners

In carrying out its projects, the Department cooperates with a number of partner institutions and organizations in Croatia and abroad.

These include universities (University of Zagreb, University of Rijeka, University of Zadar, Belgrade University of Arts, Inter-University Centre - IUC, Dubrovnik), the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, research institutes (IDIS, Institute for Tourism, Institute for the Restoration of Dubrovnik), government bodies (Ministry of Science, Education and Sports; Ministry of Culture; Ministry of the Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development, various municipalities), the Croatian Commission for UNESCO, and civil society organizations.

Some of the Department's foreign partners are UNESCO, the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the International Network for Cultural Diversity (INCD), the European Cultural Foundation (ECF), Circle, the World Culture Project, EricArts, the Canadian Heritage, the French Ministry of Culture, CultureMondo Network, Lab for Culture, On-the-Move project, ELIA and Creative Exchange.

The Friedrich Nauman Stiftung, the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, KulturKontakt Austria, the Open Society Institute various foreign embassies to Croatia, the British Council, the French Cultural Institute and other foundations and institutions also support the activities of the Department.