Poetry and cultural bridges: beyond politics and economics

Date

2011

Authors

Petrescu, I.
MacFarlane, K.

Editors

Advisors

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Type:

Conference paper

Citation

The language of art and music: an international symposium on the potential for artistic expression to cross cultural barriers and the relationship between art, culture and international relations, 2011, pp.1-7

Statement of Responsibility

Conference Name

The language of art and music: an international symposium on the potential for artistic expression to cross cultural barriers and the relationship between art, culture and international relations (15 Dec 2011 - 18 Dec 2011 : Berlin)

Abstract

In his Living in a Dark Age, Rick Salutin finds “a little poetry” in the role of physical bridge spaces that unite the disparate and enable people to "feel connected and build a society together" (Salutin1991, 4), suggesting that the tangible real-world pursuits of values of inclusiveness, equality and community, through railroads and iron bridges, are, at their core, a "concrete poetry of human aspiration" (Salutin 1991, 3). In this light, poetry is seen as not confined to pages and relegated to niche areas of marginalisation, but as an essential element of inter-connectedness and community building that permeates life, politics, economics, and social aspiration. As such, poetry is also at the heart of what is commonly seen as the "multicultural experiment" and its potential successes and failures. In our view, this “little poetry” is more than simply a convenient metaphor, therefore this paper endeavours to look into the specific discourse of poetry itself as having the power and potential to shape attitudes and understanding, and create cultural "bridge spaces" that extend and solidify communities

School/Discipline

Dissertation Note

Provenance

Description

Access Status

Rights

Copyright 2011 The Author(s)

License

Grant ID

Call number

Persistent link to this record