
The International Committee for Education and Cultural Action (CECA), one of the oldest committees within the International Council of Museums (ICOM), has recently published the latest issue of its
ICOM Education periodical, entitled
"Cultural action". The publication collects literature reviews, case studies and professional views addressing the origin and the present meaning of the term 'cultural action'.
In her introduction to
ICOM Education 28, editor Stéphanie Wintzerith explains that, although the term 'cultural action' is included in CECA's name, its exact implications are difficult to determine by many, including its members. This
led the CECA board to undertake an exploration of the term, through a range of tools, including an online survey, a multilingual glossary and some forthcoming discussions.
The publication of an issue of
ICOM Education devoted to this theme is part of this process, with the ultimate aim of understanding the origin of 'cultural action' and its present meaning(s), and exploring on the one hand the concepts and underlying ideas, and on the other hand its implementation in and by museums. In the editor's view,
'the results of this exploration widely overmatched our expectations'.
The issue opens with a chapter that traces
the origin and development of CECA, followed by a section dedicated to
reviewing literature on museums and cultural action available in several countries.
Following this, a set of contributions present
the perspective of those who deal with cultural action on a day-to-day basis, including museum educators and other professionals involved in cultural action within museums. Several specific examples and
case studies are presented thereafter. The publication closes with a set of shorter project descriptions, coming from different corners of the world.
Overall, ICOM Education 28 involves contributions from authors in Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany and Spain.
The publication is
available as a free download on ICOM CECA's website at
http://network.icom.museum/ceca/publications/icom-education/