Politíca cultural : em face da Hidra

In Greek mythology, the Hydra was a many-headed monster that Hercules killed, seeing 'cultural policy' as a monster is undoubtedly an exaggeration. It ceases to be an exaggeration, however, when we use the word in its connotative sense, i.e., as a persistent or multifaceted problem that we find ourselves unable to eradicate through an individual effort. The term ' cultural policy' has a wide range of problems. This concept has been burdened with an excess with which it cannot cope and is seen as increasingly fractured and fracturing. There are other aspects that deserve attention, but it is these two that I will concentrate in this text. In all historical eras new ideas emerge in the intellectual landscape. Over the past 50 years or so, the pace of lexical innovation has been rapid, producing a faster turnaround of concepts and fashions which care more or less fleeting, and a succession of dominant ideas - often referred to as 'narratives.' This has had great impact due to the apparent ease with which each of them has seemed able to address complex issues. These ideas have functioned as key organizers in many instances and at different levels, urging attention from the academia and the media. 'Intercultural dialogue', 'cultural diversity', 'creative economy’ are some of these expressions. Their existence usually goes through several phases - training, dissemination, adaptation and popularization discourse. Finally, they reach a final stage of consolidation and make an integral part of the general vocabulary.