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To complete the guidance made available for beneficiaries on their website, the European Research Executive Agency (REA) also released two new videos for beneficiaries.
We invite you to discover inspiring practices of GLAMs operating as commons. Each case exemplifies the significance of community engagement, volunteerism, and the preservation of cultural and historical resources. They share a commitment to creating and sustaining accessible spaces for knowledge-sharing and cultural enrichment, often adapting to evolving circumstances and community needs.
We want to learn from your experiences.
Overcoming financial constraints, addressing community engagement issues, or finding innovative ways to ensure sustainability, what are your success stories? How these obstacles can be surmounted? We invite you to share valuable insights and best practices, and to offer practical guidance for those looking to embark on similar initiatives.
Case #1: The Oral History Groups in Greece by Mina Dragouni and Dimitris Pettas
The Oral History Group (OHG) constitutes a unique case of bottom-up, self-organised initiatives’ network around the creation and dissemination of oral history archives.
The first Oral History Group was created in 2011, followed by five more in 2013 and 2014, in the midst of the multileveled crisis in Greece, aspiring to provide self-organised, grassroots groups of non-professional historians, yet highly educated, with essential methods, skills and tools in order to collect oral testimonies, mainly from everyday people, and create relevant archives. The Oral History Group network positions itself in the landscape of the large-scale mobilisations that emerged in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis, as expressed nationally – through the “squares’ movement”, as well as internationally, through the “Occupy” and the “Arab spring” movements. While the first groups developed in central Athens, during the following years, relevant groups also operated in smaller cities and islands around Greece. The OHG network is now (2023) comprising approximately 19 distinct groups, three of which developed around specific themes (e.g., the feminist OHG), while the remaining 16 have a specific geographical focus, extending from neighbourhoods to cities and islands.
The OHGs unique attributes which are contributing to their commons-oriented character lie in :
-their overall horizontal governance and management concerning each distinct group, as well as the “umbrella”, coordinating body, which operate and take decisions through assemblies that take place every three months,
-the inclusive and horizontal content creation, as the groups collectively decide on the content of the archives and design/ implement the data-collection process,
-the ties and relations of mutual support between OHGs’ members with actors and networks, extending from social movements and residents’ associations to local authorities and academic institutions,
-the clearly stated claim on behalf of the OHGs to operate as progressive political actors and
-their cooperative and open organisational structure.
The total of the OHGs, as well as the coordinating body are informal, meaning that they do not have a legal status/ form and ownership. Alongside that, there is no official membership status for participants. Nevertheless, OHGs are created, operate and design/ implement their activities under specific rules which are collectively decided upon. Moreover, there is a common methodology employed concerning the collection of oral testimonies, as well as the creation and maintenance of historical archives. As for the structure, there is no fixed organisation chart that includes sub-groups or a specific allocation of roles and duties. On the contrary, all members participate in the total of necessary tasks, varying on the time each one can devote to the group.
OHGs have limited operational expenses, which mainly concern the necessary equipment for creating and maintaining the archives (recorders, hard drives etc.). Members burden with these expenses themselves, while the volunteer engagement and provision of labour on behalf of the members significantly contributes to the financial sustainability of the groups. Moreover, they also rely on external actors, mostly for the provision of spaces and venues for the organisation of events. This mode of financing plays a key role in providing the groups with independence and autonomy but, on the downside, the lack of legal status prevents OHGs from applying for external funding through the acquisition of grants, participation in research projects, public funding etc.
The OHGs are motivated by and have clearly stated political and societal values, including the development of alternative narratives about history which could be employed in attempts to confront ongoing social, political and economic challenges, the juxtaposing of collective memory to the “faceless markets and oblivion”, the promoting of alternative modes of bottom-up (self)organisation and collectivity, the co-production of archives building upon cooperative principles. As we find in their website: “oral testimonies have a particular weight in a society in which painful memories are “hidden from history”, such as the Greek civil war trauma. People’s suffering because of the crisis has incited demands for a truth that is more “truthful” than history, the truth of personal experience and individual memory. And, last but not least, there is a remarkable analogy with the “acceleration” and the “democratization” of history. That’s why, in this time of crisis, oral history has become a “people’s project””.
OHGs build upon extended networks towards both gaining support and disseminating their operational model and archives. These networks include educational institutions (from primary schools and high schools to university departments), libraries and archives, social movements, professional and residents’ associations, local authorities etc. Concerning the aforementioned actors, collaboration can undertake various forms, from the provision of spaces and venues to presentations, walk tours and seminars.
Due to the informal character of the OHGs and the lack of a legal status that would enable their ‘official’ involvement in institutional actors’ processes, collaboration is also informal, often building upon the extent of the interpersonal and professional networks of the members.
The discussion about commons is expanding enormously. Ecological, social and cultural crises require new answers as to the social constitutions in which decisions are made about basic infrastructures such as housing, community, culture and food.
At the “Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB)”, Barcelona, Spain, on October 21 and 22, 2024, more than 70 international scholars, scientists, journalists and activists discussed questions and results on various processes of commoning and the commons during the workshop “Bridging Schools of Thought: New Frontiers in the Research on Commons and Commoning”.
The ICTA aims to improve the understanding of global environmental change, and the nature and causes of environmental problems.
In addition, it studies policies, strategies and technologies to foster a transition to a sustainable economy.
GLAMMONS project members engaged with several papers:
Mina Dragouni (Panteion University) talked about “Cultural heritage as a common: exploring oral and social history archives in Greece.” She explored the rules and challenges of horizontal governance, autonomy and openness of heritage-making in collective projects that engage with people’s history and memory. She presented data from two related cases in Greece: the Contemporary Social History Archives (Archeía Sychronis Koinonikís Istorías), a small non-profit organisation led by a community of young professionals, and the Oral History Groups (Omádes Proforikís Istorías), a citizens’ network of amateur historians, to discuss how these groups organise their archives as a commons.
Bastian Lange (Inpolis Urbanism GmbH) showed what happens when existing commons expand and how membership, volunteering, and belonging is achievable. In his paper “Institutional expansion in cultural commons: commoning practices and the management of paradoxical obstacles in GLAMs” he referred to the paradoxical moment when cultural commonly run institution expand and diversify its profiles and how they can keep track to their political emancipatory project where they are origine and stem from. Looking at the queer museum in Berlin, approaches commons as an analytical category to better understand organizational insights how commonly run cultural institutions can deal with paradoxical moments when there is thematic expansion on the one hand and efforts to be loyal to its common practices as a political project.
Stelios Lekakis (Mazomos) shed light on Heritage & Culture as commons. In his paper, he conceptualized cultural heritage and cultural creation as commons. He linked the debate on commons and commoning to discussions regarding the economic sustainability of public resources and the shifting of management responsibilities from the state to citizens. In his paper, he examined the latest trends in heritage management and cultural creation, discussing how these practices align with or diverge from the principles of the commons. By tracing an alternative ontological interpretation of culture through the theory of commons, he aimed to highlight the potential for more inclusive and sustainable cultural heritage management.
The workshop demonstrated great interest in ways of developing commons and commoning further beyond the academic debates.
ICCPR aims to provide an outlet for an interdisciplinary and international exploration of the meaning, function and impact of cultural policies. Cultural policy is understood as the promotion or prohibition of cultural practices and values by governments, corporations, other institutions and individuals. The main function of ICCPR is to promote, in association with the International Journal of Cultural Policy, a biennial research conference of high academic standards in different parts of the world. The conference provides an opportunity for researchers to present papers that reflect on cultural policy from any relevant discipline, provided they make an original academic contribution to the field.
In this context, Dr. Janet Merkel from the TU Berlin team presented our ongoing research in a session on “Cultural Relations.“
Dr Janet Merkel is an urban sociologist at the Chair of Urban and Regional Economics at the Institute of Urban and Regional Planning at Technical University Berlin. Her research focuses on the intersections of culture, work and cities. She has published on new forms of work organization for freelance workers (coworking), culture and creative industries, creative labour, cultural planning, and cultural policy in cities.
Friday 27 September, our partners from Panteion University, Vasilis Avdikos, our consortium coordinator, Martha Michailidou, Mina Dragouni, and Katerina Konstantinou will be presenting GLAMMONS at the researchers’ night 2024 at the National Technical University of Athens (17.00-21.00).
Tomorrow Thursday 26, the Value-Based Approach Workshop and Conference will begin at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, UK, and will continue until September 28th.
Following successful meetings in Rotterdam and Venice, the participants will finalize the edited volume resulting from the previous research meetings, meet to discuss current research, and lay the groundwork for future collaborative projects.
To date, a dynamic and interdisciplinary group of research scholars and practitioners from the fields of arts, culture and creative industries, economics, management, entrepreneurship, education, policy, and more have come together to explore the values of culture through four main lenses: common practices in cities, innovative approaches to cultural policy, evaluation of the impact of culture, and the humane economy.
Two presentations by the GLAMMONS partners will specifically address the project: “What is Cultural in Cultural Commons?” presented by Lyudmila Petrova, Arjo Klamer (CREARE Social), and Marilena Vecco (Burgundy School of Business – BSB), and “Participatory Evaluation: GLAMMONS Project,” presented by Arjo Klamer, Ludmilla Petrova, and Susana Graca (CREARE Social).
If you are attending, do not miss Lyudmila Petrova’s presentation that will cover an interesting aspect of the GLAMMONS research project, particularly focusing on collective entrepreneurship in the arts.
The initial draft of the 2025 UNESCO cultural statistics framework incorporates a value-based approach.
The value-based approach is a multidisciplinary research approach rooted in the belief that values drive the pursuit of societal goals, leading to actions to achieve those goals. CREARE and GLAMMONS are honoured that UNESCO experts acknowledge the contribution of the value-based approach methodology to the Theory of Value debate!
On another note, UNESCO has initiated consultations on the new UNESCO Framework for Cultural Statistics. The framework aims to assess the impact of culture on society and includes major innovations. UNESCO seeks to enhance the understanding of cultural statistics by using international experiences, classification systems, and feedback from cultural and creative stakeholders. Your contribution to this initiative is invaluable and we encourage you to share your insights until August 15.
CREARE‘s research for GLAMMONS aimed to uncover the unique dynamics of cultural commons, particularly how they harmonize economic, social, and cultural values in their operations.
To delve into this, our partner explored the Vrij Paleis, a vibrant creative community nestled in the heart of Amsterdam, where they met with a diverse group of visual artists and artisans.
During their investigation of the Vrij Paleis community, they discovered a multitude of inspiring qualities that truly epitomize their artistic and organizational practices as a collective.
Vrij Paleis’ collaborative spirit is a beacon of inspiration, with the concepts of freedom and solidarity not just words but integral parts of their practices.
The way they co-curate and realize their purposes in the dynamic city environment is truly motivating.
The Vrij Paleis demonstrates the power of an inclusive, non-hierarchical model in supporting artistic diversity and experimentation.
The individuals behind the space have made a “home” for everyone who loves the arts, no matter their skill level or background. They offer a welcoming environment for artists and artisans to nurture their skills and showcase the diversity of arts and crafts in Amsterdam.
The Paleis welcomes all, from professionals to amateurs, and is a symbol of artistic inclusivity.
During this podcast, our partner Stelios Lekakis (Mazomos) presents a case study on The Fortress of Spinalonga in Greece.
In discussion with Agiati Benardou from the Greek cultural Magazine, Lifo, he describes the establishment of the leper colony on the island, the living conditions, and the isolation of individuals affected by leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, in the early 20th century.
They also delve into the discovery of an effective treatment and the subsequent closure of the colony.
Despite its dark history, Spinalonga has evolved into one of Greece’s most popular tourist destinations.
