ifa supports and accompanies national and international research on topics of international cultural relations. In the Forum for International Cultural Relations, ifa presents the findings of its research. In the projects of ifa's research programmes, experts develop recommendations that can strengthen and further develop international cultural relations.
The External Cultural Policy (ECP) Monitor provides information on the foreign cultural and educational policy of selected countries.
Geopolitical changes, such as the increasing influence of China in Southeast Asia and in sub-Saharan Africa or the increasing influence of Russia in the Sahel, make it clear that knowledge of these regions should be available for targeted policy engagement in terms of security policy, development policy, and foreign policy, not only by Germany but also for Europe as a whole. In the context of this research project, the relevance of regional expertise for foreign and security policy is to be demonstrated through the case of the Francophonie, political control instruments are to be identified in an internationally comparative way and potentials for international cooperation are to be explored. The Francophonie, as one of the largest regional organisations, represents almost a third of the UN members, but only about 4% of the global GDP, and is thus a serious ‘voting bloc’ in international organisations, but only a limited economic power.
Prof. Dr. Matthias Middell is a Professor of Cultural History and Vice-Rector for Campus Development, Cooperation and Internationalisation at Leipzig University, where he has established the subject of Global Studies together with colleagues. He has published widely on the modern history of revolution, the history of world history writing, processes of spatialiszation under the global condition, and inter-cultural transfer.
This research examines how AI reflects and shapes global cultural values, while also exploring how its design may unintentionally promote colonialism, harm underrepresented cultures, or enable abuse towards vulnerable groups. The study proposes best practices for fostering cultural sensitivity in AI through international collaboration and offers recommendations for policymakers and practitioners to ensure AI supports cultural diversity and equity, including tools to protect vulnerable and marginalised groups against attacks perpetrated through AI-based measures.
Dr. Saiph Savage is an Assistant Professor at Northeastern University and a research collaborator with the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM). Named one of MIT Tech Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35, her AI research has been recognized by UNESCO as highly impactful. Her work has been featured by the BBC and The New York Times. She advises governments, policymakers, and contributes to OECD's Global Partnership on AI. She has a Ph.D. in Computer Science and worked at Microsoft Bing.
This research project proposes an argument for a form of participatory, intersectional, decolonial, and feminist AI of the commons, in which a practical workshop is planned to pilot feminist and decolonial interventions in generative AI. The workshop will discuss possibilities of feminist and decolonial interventions by collectively creating datasets and turning them into models for image generation. The workshop will result in a report and toolkit which enable cultural practitioners to implement these interventions in their respective local contexts on their own, and to incorporate feminist and decolonial means of data generation into their work.
Seoyoung Choi is a political scientist based in Seoul, South Korea, whose research interests lie in critical feminist and decolonial theory and methodology. She is currently a visiting researcher at the Social Science Research Institute in Yonsei University and an adjunct lecturer at Kangwon National University.
Miro Leon Bucher is a media artist, teaching artificial intelligence (AI) in art and architecture at the Department of Visual Arts at RWTH Aachen University, holding a Master of Arts in Philosophy and Social and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Cologne.
The ECP Monitor was developed during a pilot phase for a first set of countries. Based on these initial studies and feedback received from users and experts, the Monitor will be revised and further refined. Once fully developed, the ECP Monitor will cover all EU, OECD and G20 countries, and be updated regularly.
The ECP Monitor is produced by a team at the Hertie School in close cooperation with ifa's Library and ifa's Research Programme. Find out more on the ifa website.
In the research programme "Culture and Foreign Policy" and the programme line "Research" of the Martin Roth Initiative, experts investigate current issues of foreign cultural and educational policy. The research programmes set topics and develop recommendations to strengthen and further develop international cultural relations. The research assignments are accompanied by conferences and workshops. The research results are published in the ifa edition Culture and Foreign Policy, as ifa Input or as Policy Brief.
Find out more on the ifa website.
Researchers and practitioners exchange views on questions of International Cultural Relations through the International Cultural Relations Research Alliance (ICRRA) network. The network sees itself as a bridge builder between practical cultural work, academic reflection, policy advice and the media. It supports the transfer of research-based knowledge into politics and society and promotes evidence-based discourse. Find out more on the ifa website.
ICRRA Network: Become a member
Contact: dialogundforschung(at)ifa.de
Scientific Coordinator of ifa’s Research Programme on Culture and Foreign Policy
Charlottenplatz 17
D-70173 Stuttgart
Project Coordinator Dialogue and Research Culture and Foreign Policy
Charlottenplatz 17
D-70173 Stuttgart
