Sociology and Space, Vol. 59 No. 219, 2021.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.5673/sip.59.0.8
Lost Income and Found Solidarities: The Impact of the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Cultural Sector in South-Eastern Europe
Jaka Primorac
orcid.org/0000-0001-6969-4598
; Institute for Development and International Relations, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The paper presents results of a research on the impact of the first wave of the COVID-19
pandemic on the life and work of cultural workers in South-Eastern Europe, which was carried
out from May till July 2020. The paper shows how in that period in all of the researched
countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and
Slovenia) cultural workers noted a significant drop of income, expected decrease in total earnings
and continued trend of the necessity of additional work and self-exploiting practices. In
the researched countries, the measures for minimizing the negative impact of the pandemic
on the cultural sector were mainly not adopted at the local level. If they were adopted on the
national level, these predominantly included one-time assistance to artists and cultural workers,
and selected indirect measures, where a difference between EU Member States and those
outside of the EU exists. The data shows a limited influence of international foundations
and networks on the sector, however, one can note an increase of initiatives and networks of
solidarity of professional associations, NGOs and independent cultural workers. The research
shows that for the cultural sector in South-Eastern Europe the first wave of the COVID-19
pandemic has brought about a number of negative consequences, while the early measures in
most of the countries were of limited impact and scope. The positive effects are reflected in the
strengthening of solidarity within the sector and greater networking among cultural workers,
as well as in the strengthening of the view that a new, more sustainable approach to the cultural
sector is needed, and which is not based on the market logic.
Keywords
cultural sector; COVID-19; pandemic; cultural work; project work; cultural policies; South-Eastern Europe; resilience
Hrčak ID:
255055
URI
Publication date:
1.4.2021.
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