How does vulnerability occur in fields such as music and its different genres, performing arts, literature, visual arts and museums, or film/cinema and other media? How is vulnerability expressed and by whom, and how do cultural policies or public actors as well as the artists themselves deal with the connected risks? How are respective audiences vulnerable or perceive vulnerabilities differently from artists? Are there differences regarding vulnerability between the different artistic domains or with regards to national specificities in the measurement of and responses to this issue? These questions and more can be addressed in papers critically examining these vulnerabilities.

Presentation

Within the framework of the SSA Congress 2024, our research committee would like to explore the theme of “vulnerability” within the field of arts and culture. The aim of the workshop sessions is to examine how vulnerability – be it social, institutional, individual, human, or non-human – is present in the artistic and cultural sectors, cultural production, and among audiences.

How does vulnerability occur in fields such as music and its different genres, performing arts, literature, visual arts and museums, or film/cinema and other media? How is vulnerability expressed and by whom, and how do cultural policies or public actors as well as the artists themselves deal with the connected risks? How are respective audiences vulnerable or perceive vulnerabilities differently from artists? Are there differences regarding vulnerability between the different artistic domains or with regards to national specificities in the measurement of and responses to this issue?

These questions and more can be addressed in papers critically examining these vulnerabilities. The discussions may shine light on how the concept expresses itself in artistic settings, which are in themselves often precarious and fragile. Proposals can also consider how these aspects are measured and used by actors within arts and culture.

Finally, the presentations can also bring to light their difference to other (social) analysis of culture and its vulnerability.

Submission guidelines

Papers will be selected on the basis of an abstract describing the purpose of the paper, the theoretical and methodological approach, the empirical materials used and the main results.

Please also indicate your name(s), institution(s) and status, and an e-mail contact.

We look forward to receiving your proposals:

• deadline for submitting abstracts: 5 January, 2024

• length of abstracts: max. 2000 characters
• language(s) of the workshop: English, German or French
• email address: culture@sgs-sss.ch

Organising committee

This workshop is organised by the Foko-KUKUSO (Forschungskomitee Kunst- und Kultursoziologie) / RC-SAC (Research committee Sociology of Arts and Culture) / CR-SAC (Comité de recherche Sociologie des arts et de la culture) of the SGS/SSA/SSS.

• Carole CHRISTE (University of Lausanne)
• Olivier MOESCHLER (University of Lausanne)
• Nuné NIKOGHOSYAN (University of Geneva)
• Loïc RIOM (University of Lausanne)
• Guy SCHWEGLER (University of Lucerne)