Projects / Programmes
Surviving, living, thriving. Creativity as a way of life
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.04.00 |
Humanities |
Ethnology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| S220 |
Social sciences |
Cultural anthropology, ethnology |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 5.04 |
Social Sciences |
Sociology |
livelihood strategies, creativity, social actors, economic, social, cultural and symbolic capital, sustainable development, cultural and creative industries, creative cities, contemporary urbanity, the quality of urban life, social welfare
Researchers (1)
| no. |
Code |
Name and surname |
Research area |
Role |
Period |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
24304 |
PhD Saša Poljak Istenič |
Ethnology |
Head |
2014 - 2016 |
452 |
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The present economic situation is usually regarded as a financial crisis rather than a human resource crisis. As people often lack the knowledge and formal education to apply for dwindling job openings, they seek other ways to survive. Unstable economic conditions lead to unusual social responses that reflect as well as encourage individual and social creativity. People maintain their economic and social stability by increasing the number and variety of resources as well as their social, cultural and symbolic capital. Creativity has become a livelihood strategy with economic as well as social, cultural and environmental effects that comply with the principles of sustainable development.
Dominant scientific and political understandings of creativity reflected in the perception of cultural and creative industries are generally limited to an innovative product or the ability of an individual. In this light, the scientific goal of the project is to contribute to the recognition of creativity as a social concept – something now rarely the focus of scientific attention – and to explore creativity as a process, more specifically, a sustainable economic, socially inclusive, culturally significant, and environmentally sensitive livelihood strategy. This new formulation will allow for the study of the creative strategies of the poor, who have not been the focus of attention in creativity studies, and of the people above the poverty line, whose economic and social status has usually excluded them from previous livelihood research. The applied goal is to analyse the economic, social, and cultural potential of creativity as an interactive social practice reaching beyond the boundaries of the cultural and creative industries. In this manner, the project will address the limits of existing understandings of creativity and more particularly of the creative industries that hinder the self-realization of individuals as well as economic development.
The subject of research comprises creative livelihood strategies in Ljubljana. The research will focus on the practices of actors – including entrepreneurs, those self-employed in culture, cultural institutions and associations as well as individuals without organizational support –that create and increase social, cultural and symbolic capital, combining their areas of activity (economy, culture, social services, environment). The objectives of the project are to critically assess the concepts of creativity and livelihood strategies; analyse creative livelihood strategies in an urban environment in a time of crisis; map existing creative activities aimed at increasing various types of capital; draft recommendations for developing an encouraging creativity policy; and prepare a monograph on people's creativity and practices in Ljubljana.
Non-academic articles in diverse media and a scientific monograph will shed light on the diversity of creative practices and experiences in Ljubljana that transcend the limits of the cultural and creative industries, map existing spaces of creativity, and highlight specific life stories of previously invisible individuals and groups. With concrete examples, the project will draw attention to the possibilities and opportunities for creativity in the city, its economic potential as well as its social, cultural and environmental effects. It will demonstrate the benefits of shifting away from static perspectives on creativity that generally result in studies of cultural representations. The research will also serve as an ethnographically grounded critical assessment of Ljubljana as a »creative city«. In this sense, research results will be of broader comparative value, given that more than 60 cities globally declare themselves as »creative«. The research is expected to provide the basis for improving strategies and measures for encouraging creativity, to be of use to spatial planners and the tourism industry, and to be an inspiration and encouragement for social act
Significance for science
Studies of livelihood strategies of population above the poverty line are rare at the global level and they mainly focus on practices aimed at earning a living. In Slovenian ethnology and anthropology, research in this vein was mostly set in rural environments and has considered livelihood strategies as the economic basis for other practices rather than a subject of research in and of itself, and no attempt has been made to incorporate existing international research and literature on livelihoods. By drawing attention to people who respond to an adverse economic situation by accumulating various kinds of capital, the project complemented the research into livelihood strategies as survival as well as accumulation practices. It discussed creativity as a livelihood strategy based on increasing economic as well as the social, cultural, and symbolic capital of individuals and groups. Against the backdrop of environmental concerns, this contributes to a more sustainable economic, social and cultural development. The biggest drawback of existing studies of creativity, dominated by international interdisciplinary analyses of the creative cities, creative class, creative clusters, creative industries, etc., is their focus on product (innovation in the cultural and creative industries as a motor of economic development) and individual capacity (genius, talent, abilities of an individual). The same holds true for existing research in Slovenia, carried out primarily in economy, sociology, psychology, geography and spatial planning. Those studies were mostly quantitative and had therefore by the rule not given voice to social actors - especially those "without a voice" - and their views. By popularising their practices, the project strived to incorporate at least some of previously invisible actors into broader understanding of creativity. Slovenian ethnology and cultural anthropology have hardly discussed creativity at all – although creativity became more frequent theme of articles and national research projects during project implementation; the same applies – even globally – to ethnological or anthropological studies of creativity as a motor of the cultural and creative industries. The project demonstrated the benefits of shifting away from static perspectives on creativity, that are generally limited to the study of cultural representations, by drawing attention to creativity’s processual character and social dimension. It served to prove the fruitfulness of grasping creativity as interactive social practice productively tapping into knowledge, experience and tradition and reformulating them to meet society’s goals (economic, social, cultural, environmental). In this way, one acknowledges also the creative potential of individuals and groups who work outside the cultural and creative industries, and recognizes their equal status in society, what in turn positively affects sustainable development. Furthermore, by focusing on the experience of social actors active in the city, the project also reflected contemporary urbanity and quality of urban life.
Significance for the country
Presentations and events, dedicated to creativity, presented the diversity of creative practices and experiences in Ljubljana and thematically mapped the spaces of creativity. With concrete examples, the project drew attention to the possibilities and opportunities for creativity, its economic potential as well as its social, cultural and environmental effects. The results can serve as a critical assessment of Ljubljana as a »creative city« and as one of the analysis for preparation of the European Capital of Culture candidature, planned by the City. In this sense, research results are designed to be of comparative value in the long run, given that more than 60 cities globally declare themselves as »creative« while Slovenian cities show ambitions to be recognized by their distinct culture as well. By combining the »bottom up« approach, with the use of ethnographic field methods, and the »top down« approach, which encompasses a discourse analysis of cultural policy documents and narratives of representatives from various political levels – and especially by confronting social actors at public events – the research identified areas of congruence and conflict between the state, the city, and the civil society. Round table for more encouraging cultural policy, which was one of the project results, facilitated (also informal) communication among various actors about possible improvement of exsisting strategies to support creativity. Selected project results (e.g. thematic social networks, motivation of actors) are useful for spatial planners and the tourism industry, as well as social actors themselves who wish to increase their social capital. The project also called attention to the creativity of actors in responding to an adverse economic situation, and to their survival and accumulation strategies oriented towards supporting and strengthening social values (solidarity, equality, justice, integration, ecological sustainability). Thus, the project can be informative for people in unfavorable life situations in search of the ways to survive (e.g. precarius workers and members of (other) vulnerable grous). Furthermore, it showed that even informal initiatives can substantially contribute to the quality of urban living and an attractive image of the city (an important element in the development of creative economy). In this way, the project can encourage cities to rethink existing criteria for allocation of funds and to come up with other forms of support to their citizens and urban sustainable development.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2014,
2015,
final report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2014,
2015,
final report
