Brokering arts to build cross-cultural relations: how strength and embedded relations influence outcomes

Abstract

Despite the shift to relational perspective in cultural diplomacy, there is little comparative analysis of relational practices and their effectiveness on enhancing cultural relations, whether understanding, collaborations or market exchanges. To address this gap, we incorporate network literature into cultural relations to examine 10 years of Momentum, a cultural diplomacy programme hosted by Festivals Edinburgh, the British Council and Creative Scotland, that seeks to enhance learning, exchanges and collaborations among arts organizations. The findings offer three insights: (1) cultural relations, similar to networks, have a curvilinear effect where an investment is required but more years of investment do not gain better outcomes; (2) effective relational strategies depend on the larger cultural and economic environment: more investment in relations is needed for countries that are more decentralized, have higher political uncertainty or larger cross-cultural differences; (3) cultural relations are anchored in key cities, offering a concentration of artists and cultural organisations that enable both a stable base to build on and a platform for expanding across geographic regions.