ZAMYN
the Other perspective

'Thinking Aloud': Seminar Two

Culture and Social Change

The second Zamyn seminar 'Culture and Social Change' was held on 30th June to the 1st July 2005 at the London School of Economics.   Participants were asked to offer contributions to debate centred around the following themes and contexts:

Themes:

• What role is played by cultural nationalism in the global economy and how does it affect movements of ideas, people and resources?
• Can new forms of cooperation based on cultural innovation help us to develop new solutions to the major global challenges of the 21st century: HIV/Aids, environmental crisis, poverty, social inequality?
• How can culture and the arts become more central in economics and political decision-making?
• How can we resource culture and the arts more effectively to allow for new directions of change? Transnational corporations are major drivers of social change. What would be the consequences of rethinking corporations as innovative cultural institutions?
• Can business enter into new forms of relationship with diverse cultures to enhance cultural diversity and innovation?

Contexts:

1. Global Public Health and National Autonomy

2. Communication, Technology and Cultural/Moral Values

3. Art, Censorship, Social Justice

4. Intellectual Property and the Politics of Plunderphonics

5. The Rationale for Corporate Social Responsibility

Seminar Participants and Contributions:

Arahmaiani, Artist and Feminist

John Akomfrah, Documentary film-maker

Lourdes Arizpe, Professor, National University of Mexico; former Assistant Director-General for Culture at UNESCO

Carlos Basualdo, Poet, critic and independent curator. Currently Adjunct Professor teaching History of Exhibitions at the University IUAV of Venice, Italy

Andy Bichlbaum, Film-maker and actor

Georgina Born, College Lecturer in Social and Political Sciences and Director of Studies; University Reader in Sociology and Official Fellow at Emmanuel College, Cambridge

Yusuf Hamied, CEO, Cipla

Augustus Casely-Hayford, Director, Africa 05

John Hutnyk, Reader at the Centre for Cultural Studies and in the Anthropology Department at Goldsmiths College, University of London

Irit Rogoff, Chair of Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths College, University of London

Parselelo Kantai, News correspondent

Dr. Kriti Kapila, Social Anthropologist and British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Dr. Jean Matthee, Feminist, artist, filmmaker, theorist and critic

Stefan Romer, Professor for New Media at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich

Professor Renata Salecl, Philosospher and sociologist; Centennial Professor, Dept. of Law at the London School of Economics

Danny Schechter, Founder and Executive Editor of Mediachannel.org

Florian Schneider, Writer, film-maker and net activist

Elia Suleiman, Film-maker