Culture

Culture is a key component of contemporary societies. It refers to the creation, dissemination, appropriation, and consumption of works, texts, products, and heritage, both tangible and intangible, that have meaning for individuals and communities.

Research on culture helps us understand this central aspect of contemporary society as it relates to the creation, circulation, and appropriation of works, texts, products, and heritage that have significance for individuals and communities.

Our research teams study cultural organizations, institutions, policies, and markets. They are interested in practices within the arts and within cultural industries, and also look at the role of cultural workers and producers and at audience behaviours.

Their research explores questions related to the globalization of trade, the emergence of the knowledge economy, information and innovation, the promotion of sociocultural diversity, and the role of culture in defining Quebec identity.

Faculty interests include the transformation of artistic practices and cultural participation, the changing role of public and private authorities, the coexisting rationales of cultural democratization and cultural democracy, the importance of cultural industries in contemporary economies, and new digital environments and the new cultural economy.

Culture and regional innovation

Faculty working in this area explore the relationships between culture and regions by looking at the role of culture in regional, social, and economic development strategies; the cultural history of cities, regions, and the province of Quebec; the role of culture in the redeployment of urban and regional economies; and the meaning, memory, and cultural transmission.

Culture and economy

In this area of research, faculty analyze the increasingly complex relationships between culture and economy from the following perspectives: the dynamics of the urban, metropolitan, and regional cultural economy, the new creative and cultural economy, and the digital economy; and quantitative and qualitative socioeconomic measurement of culture (cultural indicators, methods for analyzing cultural activities, etc.)