German foreign cultural and educational policy

The foreign cultural policy , completely foreign cultural and educational policy , in short "AKBP", describes the cultural diplomacy of the Federal Republic of Germany .

Concept history

The concept of (foreign) cultural policy was largely coined by the Leipzig cultural historian Karl Lamprecht , who gave the highly acclaimed speech “On foreign cultural policy” at the conference of the Association for International Understanding in Heidelberg, which was founded in 1911. Following a quote from the former (1966–1969) German Foreign Minister Willy Brandt , it is referred to in political parlance as the third pillar of German foreign policy, alongside the two other pillars, classic foreign policy and foreign trade policy . In the meantime, the concept of foreign cultural policy has been expanded to include foreign cultural and educational policy, whereby education also includes the international transfer of science.

It is true that in the seventies and eighties of the last century it actually took up a third of the budget of the Foreign Office .

tasks

One of the goals of German foreign cultural policy is that the target groups abroad can get to know current cultural life or the German language through cultural offers, language courses or the use of libraries with German-language media. Another variant are television, radio or Internet programs that can be received worldwide from and via Germany, which are deliberately aimed at other countries in their programming and through the use of foreign languages ​​( Deutsche Welle ). In addition, international cultural exchange is promoted by organizing events such as B. in the areas of literature, film, theater, dance, visual arts, music, archeology, architecture, design or fashion are designed and realized. In addition, there is the mediation and liaison work between cultural institutes, specialists and artists in Germany and in the respective host country, with the aim of establishing and expanding networks in the cultural landscapes, the art scenes or the creative industries .

In terms of international law, Germany has concluded over 100 cultural agreements with other countries.

In the age of globalization , foreign cultural and educational policy, which is pursued by industrialized countries such as Germany, Great Britain, France and others in a particularly resource-intensive manner in accordance with the need for financial resources and know-how, also serves to compete for highly qualified scientists. For this purpose, scholarships are awarded and university partnerships are supported. (DAAD) residency programs are another format for networking artists and scientists.

Another, regionally-related area of ​​work includes activities within the framework of cultural cooperation with developing and transition countries . For this purpose, programs of capacity development and professionalization are offered, for example for journalists and artists. The Africa campaign launched in 2008 by the Federal Foreign Office is an additional field of action in this area, which is also known as " Culture and Development ". Cooperation between the intermediary organizations of foreign cultural and educational policy with the implementing organizations of German development policy and non-governmental organizations is largely still selective, but intensification has been pursued since 2006.

organization

The foreign cultural and educational policy of the German state is shaped primarily by the cultural mediators financed by the Federal Foreign Office :

• The Goethe-Institut mediates German language and culture at home and abroad through 157 Goethe-Instituts in 98 countries and is the largest organization of German foreign cultural policy in terms of its network and the target groups it reaches.
• The Institute for Foreign Relations (ifa), the oldest German intermediary organization for international cultural exchange based in Stuttgart and Berlin , is committed to art exchange , dialogue between civil societies and the communication of foreign cultural policy information around the world .
• The Central Office for Schools Abroad of the Federal Administration Office oversees the German schools abroad and the German Language Diploma Program (DSD).
• The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) promotes study and research in Germany and abroad
• The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation supports international research collaborations by awarding grants and prizes.
• The German Archaeological Institute promotes archaeological research and cooperation with foreign countries
• The Pedagogical Exchange Service (PAD) organizes international exchanges in schools.
• The German UNESCO Commission is considered to be the national “ UNESCO presence in Germany ”, even though it is an organization that is independent of UNESCO.

• The House of World Cultures in Berlin acts as a forum and intermediary for international contemporary arts and receives regular funding from the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media .
• As a research institution for national and international vocational training, the Federal Institute for Vocational Training also enjoys funding from the AKBP.

According to the AA website, the political foundations, the Federal Cultural Foundation, the Max Weber Foundation, the “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” foundation as well as private or company-related foundations and civil society organizations are partners of the Federal Foreign Office in the context of foreign cultural and educational policy .

In contrast to the foreign policy of the other states, the use of these non-state cultural mediators is intended to ensure that the fields of action of German foreign cultural and educational policy have a degree of ability to act that is independent of the government. This construction takes into account the fact that at the time of the NSDAP's policy of harmonization , from 1933 to 1945, cultural policy was not only subordinate to the Reich Ministry of Propaganda, but was oriented towards the propagandistic goals of the Nazi state and became an instrument of the National Socialist conception of "German culture" and the discrimination against politically dissenters and especially against German Jewish culture had sunk. The principle that the state finances cultural or educational offers but leaves their implementation to non-state actors continues to correspond to the historically grown separation of funding or sponsorship of a diverse and citizen-oriented cultural landscape, which was reintroduced in the Federal Republic after the Second World War.

In the Foreign Office there are several subordinate units in the Department for Culture and Communication in order to take into account the different cultural groups and to coordinate the cooperation with the intermediary organizations. In detail, these are, among other things, the unit 01 for culture u. Media relations Europe, USA, Canada, Russia, Turkey, Central Asia, Caucasus, German minorities abroad, the Rererat 02 for cultural and media relations Africa, Asia, Australia, Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, the department 03 for multilateral culture and Media policy (EU, Council of Europe), cultural property protection, return issues, the Rererat 04 for universities, science and research, the Rererat 05 for schools abroad and sport, as well as Ref. 606 for the Goethe-Institut, Institut für Auslandsbeektiven (ifa), German-foreign Cultural societies; Arts, literature, film and national cultural projects.

Head of the cultural department at the Foreign Office
No.	Surname	Taking office	Term expires
1	Friedrich Stieve	1932	1939
2	Fritz von Twardowski	1939	1943
3	Rudolf Salat, acting	1951	1955
4th	Heinz Trützschler from Falkenstein	1955	1959
5	Dieter Sattler	1959	1965
6th	Luitpold Werz	1966	1969
7th	Hans Georg Steltzer	1970	1972
8th	Hans Arnold	1972	1977
9	Kurt Mueller	1977	1983
10	Barthold C. Witte	1983	1991
11	Lothar Wittmann	1992	1995
12	Hans-Bodo Bertram	1995	1998
13	Albert Spiegel	1998	2002
14th	Wilfried Grolig	2002	2007
15th	Martin Kobler	2007	2010
16	Werner Wnendt	2010	2012
17th	Andreas Görgen	since 2014

literature

• Udo Rossbach: The foreign cultural policy of the Federal Republic of Germany: Basics, goals, tasks. a collection of titles. Stuttgart 1980, DNB 800821556 .
• Bettina Hosseini: The foreign cultural policy of the Federal Republic of Germany towards the countries of the Near and Middle East from 1949 to 1963. Göttingen 1996, OCLC 1068760144 .
• Axel Schneider: The foreign language policy of the Federal Republic of Germany. A study on the promotion of the German language in Central and Eastern Europe, in the Soviet Union and in the CIS from 1982 to 1995. Bamberg 2000, ISBN 3-926946-41-5 .
• Martin Mumme: Strategies for Foreign Consciousness Politics - On the Power of Ideas in Politics. A critical analysis of German foreign cultural policy and proposals for a new strategy. Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-8260-3297-4 .
• Christian Saehrendt : Art as an ambassador for an artificial nation. Studies on the role of the visual arts in the foreign cultural policy of the GDR. Stuttgart 2009.
• Patrick Schreiner: Foreign cultural policy. International relations and cultural exchange. Bielefeld 2011, ISBN 978-3-8376-1647-7 .
• Annika Hampel: Fair Cooperation. Partnership-based cooperation in foreign cultural policy. Springer Verlag, Wiesbaden 2015, ISBN 978-3-658-07592-7 .
• Bert Hoffmann: Change and rapprochement: Perspectives of German-Cuban relations in culture and education. (= ifa edition culture and foreign policy ). Institute for Foreign Relations, published by Stuttgart 2016, ISBN 978-3-921970-50-8 .
• Olaf Zimmermann , Theo Geißler : The third pillar: Foreign cultural and educational policy (from politics & culture). German Cultural Council, Berlin 2018, ISBN 978-3-947308-08-8 .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Federal Foreign Office: Culture and intercultural dialogue. Retrieved August 7, 2020 . 
2. ^ Hannah Bauersachs: Processes of Change in German Foreign Cultural Policy . Springer, 2019, p. 75 .
3. ↑ Federal Foreign Office : Basic principles of German foreign policy: three pillars of foreign policy. , October 9, 2019, accessed June 9, 2020.
4. ↑ Federal Foreign Office : Foreign cultural and educational policy: Basis for strong international relations. , January 16, 2020, accessed June 9, 2020.
5. ↑ Olaf Zimmermann, Theo Geißler (ed.): The third pillar: Foreign cultural and educational policy (=  From politics & culture . Volume 16 ). German Cultural Council, Berlin 2018, ISBN 978-3-947308-08-8 , pp. 32, 48, 55, 95, 109, 113-114, 121, 126, 133, 154, 170, 174, 221-228 .
6. ↑ Annika Hampel: Fair Cooperation. Partnership-based cooperation in foreign cultural policy . Springer Verlag, Wiesbaden 2015, p. 68 f .
7. ↑ Locations - Goethe-Institut. Retrieved June 9, 2020 . 
8. ↑ Federal Foreign Office: Foreign cultural and educational policy: Basis for strong international relations. Retrieved August 7, 2020 . 
9. ↑ Organizational plan of the Federal Foreign Office , website of the Federal Foreign Office , accessed on September 17, 2019.
10. ^ Karl Kraus, Sidonie Nádherná von Borutín , Friedrich Pfäfflin: Letters to Sidonie Nádherná von Borutín. 1913-1936. Volume 1, Wallstein Verlag, 2005, ISBN 3-89244-934-1 . (books.google.se)
11. ↑ Hartmut Lehmann, Otto Gerhard Oexle (ed.): National Socialism in the cultural studies: subjects, milieus, careers. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2004, ISBN 3-525-35198-4 . (books.google.de)
12. ^ Reviews in German History. 4/2011 by Jonathan Osmond; The American Historical Revue. April / 2010 by Benita Blessing: (in English): (ahr.oxfordjournals.org) Journal of Cold War Studies. 3/2010 by Roger E. Kanet: Review (in English): (muse.jhu.edu) Revue de L'art. 1/2010 by Mathilde Arnaux (French)