Everyone talks about social cohesion. Few are willing to define, or fund, the cultural literacy that actually builds it.
That’s the uncomfortable truth emerging from dialoguing@rts (d@rts), a Horizon Europe project exploring how dialogue-based, participatory performing arts education can strengthen cultural literacy, social cohesion, and inclusion across Europe.
This intermediary policy brief offers a mid-project snapshot from five countries: Finland, Germany, Italy, Norway, and Serbia, alongside an EU-level synthesis. Together, they point to a consistent gap. Ambitious goals around inclusion and cohesion exist, but there’s little shared definition, concrete implementation, or structural funding for cultural literacy, particularly where culture and education meet.
Key takeaways:
Cultural literacy still isn't a clearly defined concept in education or cultural policy, whether within the consortium countries or at EU level
Culture and education remain siloed. Separate ministries, sections, and funding channels make cross-cutting work like cultural literacy structurally difficult.
The formats best suited to building cultural literacy often sit outside school curricula, in non-formal education, while the performing arts' potential to build cultural competence and cohesion remains largely untapped.
The brief argues that cultural literacy needs to shift. Rather than an external goal policies point toward, it should become an everyday institutional practice, built through bottom-up structures, diverse practitioners, and the many forms of knowledge communities already hold.
Who should read this, and why (make it pillars on website perhaps)
- Arts educators. See how current policy either enables or limits dialogue-based, participatory arts practice in schools and communities, and where there’s room to push for more integrated approaches.
- Policymakers (culture, education, inclusion). Get a clear picture of the implementation gap: strong inclusion goals without shared definitions, joint strategy, or joined-up funding, and where policy coherence, cross-ministry collaboration, or curriculum reform could make cultural literacy actionable.
- Artists and arts organisations. Understand how your work is positioned, or overlooked, within policy and education systems. The “Voices from the Field” sections show how these policies play out in practice, helping you connect your work to broader conversations on cohesion and inclusion.
- Researchers. Dig into interim analysis of policy documents, strategies, and curricula across five national contexts and the EU level, plus qualitative findings from interviews, observations, workshops, and case studies. The briefs highlight open questions and research gaps around cultural literacy, the performing arts, and social cohesion.
"Although policy papers link culture and education in discussions of social cohesion, it's clear the relevant authorities and ministries don't always work closely together." — Intermediary findings, dialoguing@rts
Read the intermediary policy briefs
These are interim outputs from an ongoing Horizon Europe project, offering early analysis and country-specific insights. Final recommendations will follow at the project’s close.