Why is research in international cultural relations important?

ifa Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen

Culture enables vital exchange within and between societies and helps to create solutions for global challenges like climate change, migration and polarised societies. It supports social cohesion and encourages people to consider a plurality of perspectives. Dealing with culture is not about judging any way of living but about understanding the other. However, if we want to work with culture, we need to know how it operates.

In order to better understand why and how cooperation between states, societies and cultures works and can be fostered, we carry out evidence-based research about international cultural relations. Thereby, we try to better comprehend the role culture plays in and between societies and how it sets the parameters in which global challenges are discussed. We offer advice about the role of international cultural relations with the aim to accompany foreign cultural policies with scientific facts.