Knowledge Transfer through Artistic Means. Scientific and Artistic Approaches in the Context of International Cultural Policies

The presentation explores knowledge transfer through artistic means, emphasizing its role in fostering democratic, participatory formats that create dialogue. Coessens highlights the complexity of knowledge embedded in art, communicated through sensory and embodied experiences (Coessens 2016). The Arab region is known for innovative forms of knowledge production and transfer emerging out of the need to counter postcolonial legacies. Scholar and artist Jas critiques the Global North’s view of knowledge “as a goal to be achieved” (Jas 2024). In contrast, she argues for formats of knowledge transfer that focus on communities and social cohesion, and embrace procedural uncertainty and open-endedness (Jas 2024).

The presentation addresses three key research questions: (1) How can knowledge transfer through artistic means be conceptualized? (2) What socio-political dimensions of artistic work to knowledge transfer can be identified in the WANA region? (3) How can knowledge production and transfer be conducted justly in times of transformation and crisis?

The analysis is based on the case study of the "تواصل [Tawasol] Cultural Production and Policy Network" (2023-2025), an academic training program, that examines artistic expression as means of knowledge transfer and their socio-political dimensions. The network connects partners in Germany, Tunisia, Lebanon, and Egypt and is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The analysis draws on three selected examples from Egypt and Tunisia: autonomous, and collectively driven socio-political artistic and creative practices, the role of emerging female artists in socio-political transitions, as well as independent music production and distribution cycles.

The presentation aims to analyse knowledge production under the lens of how social and cultural practices inform academic discourse, and how these knowledges are made accessible. Overall, the presentation discusses international cultural and academic collaboration, using concepts such as 'Fair Cooperation' (Hampel 2015), drawn from cultural policy studies, thus contributing to interdisciplinary debates in sociology.