Ivana Rapošová: New minorities, activists and multicultural festivals: inclusive commonality in the making?

22. března 2017

Dear all,

in the name of the Center for the Cultural Sociology of Migration (CCM), let me invite
you to the second of the CCM’s working sessions, which will take place under the
umbrella of our community Research meetings next Wednesday.

On March 22 at 3.15 pm, the seminar will discuss a draft by the Center’s research
fellow Ivana Rapošová focused around performativities of inclusion in urban
festivals.

Title: New minorities, activists and multicultural festivals: inclusive commonality in
the making?

Abstract: Multicultural festivals are becoming a popular form of contemporary civic
activism. Creating situations of collective effervescence, countering prejudice through
arts and culture, and appealing to emotion rather than to rationality, they represent a
specific and novel means of minority rights advocacy. In this paper, I introduce a case
study of a non-governmental organization aiming to alter the symbolic boundaries drawn
around new minorities living in the city of Bratislava. Building on the ethnography of
one of its regular activities, the urban multicultural festival [fjúžn], I introduce
three specific approaches the civic activists utilize when trying to symbolically
transform public space and make migrants more present in the public discourse.
Specifically, I talk about building bonds and bridges, capturing public spaces, and
encouraging language openness.




If interested in joining in the discussion, please request the draft directly from the
author (ivana.raposova@mail.muni.cz <mailto:ivana.raposova@mail.muni.cz>). Participants
are advised to familiarize themselves with the text beforehand as the meeting will not
include a standard presentation.