The new levers of cultural activity

The foundations of cultural politics in France were laid after the Second World War in a climate of communism and Gaullism. The Left-wing then used cultural politics at the end of the 1970s as a pivotal tool in order to gain power.  Since then, the context and issues have changed, and consequently cultural politics must be overhauled. Dominique Bluzet is the head of three private theatres in Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. He thinks that it is important to discuss culture from a regional and sociological point of view and to use new consumer practices such as car-sharing schemes and social networks. Cultural activities nowadays concern professions which did not exist ten years ago. Furthermore, they break the mould and blur the boundaries between disciplines, and between private and public sectors. The scope which these three theatres have makes it possible to develop a political project (as opposed to an artistic project) which includes a citizen’s agenda and can be part of the local area.