Ndiouga BENGA (Département d'Histoire, Université de Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegal)
Bob W. WHITE (Département d’Anthropologie (Université de Montréal, Canada)
Lye M. YOKA (Institut National des Arts, R.D. Congo)
Research Assistants:
Kinshasa: Serge Makobo, Jean-Claude Diyongo
Dakar: Sokhna Sane, Mamadou Lo, Moustapha Bassel, Arfang Sarr
Summary of research project
In this research we want to propose that the anthropological notion of culture—meaning a complex series of beliefs and practices that unite a particular group of people or society—must be understood as part of the emergence of modern states. One way to understand this phenomenon is through the lens of “cultural policy”, a concept that generally refers to two types of official or governmental practices. The first pertains to government policies that affect culture industries, popular forms of entertainment or associational activity. The second is more concerned with official statements about the role of culture in the context of the formation of a modern state (religious beliefs, traditional art, dance, ritual, language, proverbs, etc.). But this complex field of governmental practice cannot be understood without a dynamic view of how local cultural practices are positioned with regards to the institutions of power. [extrait du document sur l’envoûtement]: Si d’un côté on peut parler des « politiques culturelles » (donc les affaires et l’interventionnisme de l’État) on peut également parler des « pratiques culturelles », expressions populaires qui comprennent non seulement la musique populaire mais aussi la poésie, le théâtre, le cinéma, la littérature, les arts plastiques. Bref, toutes les formes d’expression qui peuvent se situer en marges de la société d’État mais qui, justement par cette marginalité, nous disent quelque chose de nouveau sur l’expérience de vivre dans l’incontournabilité de l’État post-colonial en Afrique.
One of the most striking aspects of the relatively recent literature on cultural policy is the almost complete absence of research on cultural policy initiatives in developing economies. In response to this gap in the literature, the proposed research will compare two modern nation-states in Africa: Congo-Zaire and Senegal. Congo and Senegal represent two very different contexts for examining cultural policy. While Senegal has a heterogeneous field of cultural production (cinema, literature, music), Congo-Zaire is known primarily for its popular music. In addition to the religious differences (Senegal being predominantly Muslim and the Congo primarily Christian) there are also important differences in terms of political culture and political history since independence. One of the main questions of this research will be to examine the relationship between governance and the way that “culture” is managed and understood, not only by agents of the state, but also by everyday artists and citizens.
The research proposed in this project combines field-based ethnographic methods with recent approaches in social history to show how culture and politics, especially in an African context, must be seen in dialectical terms rather than in opposition. This researches focus on three aspects of cultural policy in particular: government programs and policies, the social actors who mediate and interpret these policies, and cultural producers themselves. The project draws from the experience of scholars from various fields of expertise (Anthropology, History, and Literature) to explore the tension between an anthropological and a humanities-based definition of culture. The results of this research will be of interest to scholars in Anthropology, History, African Studies, Cultural Studies, Communications, and Political Science, but also to various types of policymakers and cultural workers, in Congo, Senegal, and further abroad. It will add to our understanding of how culture works, but also of how culture is put to work in the name of various national projects and ideologies.
Research Objectives. The purpose of this research is to explore the way that an anthropological notion of culture has been instrumental in the historical evolution of modern states. This research has three primary objectives:
explore the historical trajectory of an anthropological notion of culture by examining how this concept has been differentially deployed by two modern states in Africa—Congo-Zaire and Senegal—both known for the strongly national character of their cultural production and cultural industries
apply recent developments in field-based ethnographic research and social history to understand the potential impact of cultural policies and programs on local ways of understanding and organizing cultural performance
encourage inter-disciplinary research with scholars working in Africa and in North America through a broad-based effort to problematize the complex historical relationship between culture and politics