nuevas TRENZAS informs
JUne 2013 N° 14
Value Enhancementof Cultural Assets: Innovative Strategies for Young Rural Women’s empowerment? Claudia Ranaboldo and Fabiola Leiva Centro Latinoamericano para el Desarrollo Rural Chile After the first stage of the program, NuevasTrenzas’ outcomes have identified the “access and PUESTA EN VALOR of nontraditional assets” as one of its six key questions.In that sense, it has been found that in basically every country of the continent, there is evidence accounting for women’s difficulty in accessing control of assets related to traditional agricultural activities. This situation implies that many of women’s the economic strategies are based on the enhancement of other type of assets, such as cultural assets. Therefore, it is proposed the need for knowing how these non-traditional assets can be enhanced in such a way that they create opportunities for young rural women. That is why this study analyzes under a critical approach the main public policies and development projects related to the enhancement of cultural assets focusing on the improvement of economic, social and political inclusion of Latin American young rural women. The Latin American Context: Dynamics that Influence the Options of Young Rural Women. Within Latin America’s inequality framework, two dimensions of the context influence young rural women and complicate their perspective as well as desires. One is inequality between male citizens and female citizens; while the second is represented by territorial inequality. Both demand development and empowerment-including political participation-in local spaces. Also in both cases the access to other type of assets-non-traditional and not exclusively based on agriculture and livestock-may-under certain circumstances, support this double struggle. Likewise, since the mid-1990s the importance of the increasing nonagricultural income and non-agricultural rural labor has been highlighted, estimating in total a 40% of its weight in Latin American rural areas. This “new rurality” being discovered, finds rural societies’ economies further characterized by its members’ multi-activity, without disregarding the importance of agriculture. On the other hand, Conditioned Cash Transfer Programs perpetuate an organization of care (especially in health and education) in society based on the non-remunerated labor of women, which is one of the causes of gender inequality in economy.
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Cultural Assets: Trends and Assets First, one finds a slow evolution of gender agendas in relation to the cultural field and the acknowledgement of its diversity. In the international agenda, perception of rural women tends to remain under traditional criteria framed around the concepts of gaps, lacks, absences and inequality, all very accurate. However, there is still further knowledge, sensibility and projection missing in regard to new potential and opportunities. On the other hand, regarding the cultural field and the invisibility of the gender question, it should be highlighted that territories’ heritage related components have started to be valued, as well as the material and non-material identity features, proposing thus that they may be a key element for services and products’ commercial success. However, it must be admitted that in this scenario women are still invisible. In cultural institutions, especially in public ones, what prevails is the incorporation of the nominal gender approach. In that sense, culture as a field does not trigger equality of opportunities for men and women, even less so for young rural women. Therefore, new paths for articulation arise. The call forfor rural territorial development with cultural identity is inserted in this line of thought and action. Cultural assets-understood as dynamic-and bio-cultural diversity constitute its foundation. Strategies and Results: Lessons fromCases Analyzed in Chile, Mexico and Peru The guiding hypothesis is that in the region, cultural assets have become more important not only because of their effects in economic income resulting from the production and circulation of valued cultural contents; but also due to the individual and collective socio-emotional effects of identity transformations that impact social cohesion. In this context, it is assumed that regarding cultural resources management women are par excellence carriers of both the knowledge and the impulse for innovative processes that go hand in hand with business ventures with identity. For verifying these assumptions, the study analyzes cases in Chile, Mexico and Peru. Chile Since 1992, investments in culture through public funding have been registered. However, urban bias and fragmented initiatives have been found. There are relative gaps between men and womenwhen participating in this fund. Likewise, regarding the lines of the contest, a more detailed analysis of 2012 reveals that women lead the highest percentage of projects awarded in the Arts and Crafts category which hold an important presence in that of estate. On the other hand, the review of public policies for strengthening identities reveals tensions between the national and the regional level. Likewise, it has been found that the territorial keys for enhancing the value of cultural assets include most young rural women. In relation to the previous national programs looking to connect with the regions, it is also convenient to look at what happens in smaller territorial spaces in Chile. Today, many of the products and services with identityconstitute an offer articulated though a network of agricultural, livestock, touristic, arts and crafts, and cultural activities. These products and services have a critical mass of significant public and private actors, as well as progressiveterritorial governance. Also they are constantly looking at increasing their quality and their capacity for innovation. Mexico The study has found investments in culture through public funding with a marked tendency towards an urban focalization. Unlike Chile, in Mexico investments in culture through public funding focuses more in rural areas, such as the case of the Program for Supporting Municipal and Communitarian Cultures (Programa de Apoyo a las Culturas Municipales y Comuni-
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www.nuevastrenzas.org tarias - PACMYC) of the National Council for Culture and the Arts (Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes -CONACULTA). This program focuses in the strengthening of spaces of local organization and concentration for investing in creation, forming collegiate organs in which local and federal authorities of the field of culture, and civil society, such as the Commissions for Planning and Support of the Popular Creation (Comisiones de Planeación y Apoyo a Creación Popular). On the other hand, regarding sectorial investment in the production of arts and crafts, the study has found in relation to women artisan’s empowerment long waiting times and uncertain outcomes. In general, programs support arts and crafts activities through a wide range of possibilities: research, integral participation and technical assistance, support for production, commercialization, and contests of popular art. Perú Regarding the valorization of cultural assets in public programs of significant magnitude, the importance of an environment that facilitates the change of traditional roles has been highlighted. Peru is going through a moment of change that is catalyzes elements from the recent past: new decentralizing airs. This is concretely displayed in public programs focusing in populations with less opportunities and higher poverty indexes (rural areas, women, youth, children, indigenous populations). On the other hand, the study has found that territorial key matters regarding the valorization of cultural assets also include young rural women. There are new dynamics propelled particularly by women and youth involved in business ventures with different nuances of cultural economy, such as host homes, artisanal production, music and traditional parties, recuperation of ancient Andean agricultural techniques and addition of value to agricultural produce, and the launching of hotel services and gastronomy. Conclusions: Elements for the Debate and Dilemmas From the information and analysis a “mixed” situation stands out, whose ambiguity will be explained through the following conclusions:
a. Trends in the Latin American Context: Lights and Shadows The region presents trends in which at least three factors push rural women to look for other types of alternatives: inequality gaps that persist at both the individual and territorial levels; the increasing diversification and heterogeneity of income sources and employment, as well as the composition and plural activity nature of households; and the importance of “nonlabor” income sources whose maturation potential and contribution to autonomy and “graduation” of the development program is not yet clear. Therefore, women in general, and young rural women in particular are deploying new types of mixed strategies, that combine definite or seasonal migration (“coming and going”) with diversification initiatives based on the valorization of assets that are not necessarily of agricultural nature, and where cultural and natural resource management becomes significant.
b. Trends in Public Policies: Change that does not fully come true or becomes articulated These programs are instruments that promote multiple individual and collective business ventures. An important factor for success (and sustainability) is young women’s real appropriation of it all. On the contrary, policy availability and big funding, conceived and structured from the States’ centralinstitutions, does not necessarily make viable this appropriation and involvement on the part of young rural women, as happens in Chile through culture funding and other instruments of public policy.
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www.nuevastrenzas.org In this sense, a factor that stands out is that there are not indexes for good outcomes directly proportional to the magnitude of public investment, but rather to the flexibility of the use of instruments on the part of the State and to the increase of the local population’s agency.
c. Trends in development programs and projects: greater potential in territorial initiatives Regarding the issue of gender, there continues to be an impulse of small business ventures comprising only women and under a traditional logic of affirmative action; or with a separation between different spheres, public/reproductive/productive, where projects are different in the measure they focus on separate “parts” of women’s minds and bodies. In the case of young women, this traditional logic leads in many cases to propose projects “for them to stay”, “for them to value their culture”, “for returning to a tradition that is being lost”. It is not understood that enhancing the value of cultural assets also implies breaking with many of these prejudices and, rather, underpin cultural, social, economic and political initiatives that exceed frontiers and strengthen flows.
To access the full Spanish version of this document go to Nuevas Trenza’s website.
www.nuevastrenzas.org Nuevas Trenzas is possible thanks to the financial support of:
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