La Cultura Comunitaria y los Gobiernos Progresistas: Políticas y Participación Social en Argentina y Brasil Entre 2003 y 2015

Abstract

The processes of social participation in the formulation of cultural policies in Argentina and Brazil between 2003 and 2015 are comparatively analyzed. From an interdisciplinary perspective, practices are characterized and are related to the agents that produce them and the conditions in which they are produced. It is argued that practices are understood/ explained by relating them to the relative position of power that defines agents rather than their ideas. The problem is: What characteristics are taken by the practices of civil society organizations in Argentina and Brazil that participated in the Federal Bill on Cultures and the Law on Cultura Viva, respectively; and to what extent is it possible to understand/ explain them in relation with the social place of those who produce them? The political implications of the different notions of culture promoted by the pre-2003 governments in both countries and those promoted by the administrations during the period analyzed are discussed. It is concluded that the participation of civil society is a necessary condition for the formulation of cultural policies based on the perspective of human rights. However, the government’s decision is the sufficient condition for the development and implementation of a policy.