International Journal of Cultural Policy

Journal overview

Aims and scope

The International Journal of Cultural Policy is a peer reviewed journal that provides an outlet for a multidisciplinary and international exploration of the meaning, function and consequences of cultural policies. Cultural policy is understood as the promotion or disparagement of particular cultural practices and values.

This conception of cultural policy encompasses a broad view of both ‘culture’ and ‘policy’. On the one hand, ‘culture’ may be taken to refer to systems or clusters of attitudes, values and behaviours, along with the symbolic practices that maintain or support them. On the other, it may refer more narrowly to products of the arts, heritage and creative and media industries. ‘Policy’ may be considered as programmatic sets of ideas or plans of action pursued by any agency.

Understood in this way, the scope of cultural policy extends well beyond policies which are explicitly labelled ‘cultural’ or which relate specifically to the ‘cultural and creative sector’. Indeed, the most powerful culture-shaping policies are arguably those which emerge from other domains, such as religion, science, education or trade. Yet they are often overlooked in the study of cultural policy.

The journal welcomes papers which throw light on any form of cultural policy, whatever its scope, provided they make an original academic contribution to this field of study. The historical range is not limited to any given period, but the journal is primarily concerned with material that is relevant to the contemporary world and which contributes to a fruitful international exchange of ideas.

The journal will consider papers from any academic discipline which address its aims, as set out here, and encourages contributions from all parts of the world. Manuscripts must be written in English, or translated into English prior to submission. As a multidisciplinary and international journal, it requires contributors to write in a clear, readable style.

All submissions to the journal will undergo initial editor screening and, if selected, will be subject to rigorous peer review, based on double-anonymized refereeing by at least two referees.

Some editions of the journal are guest edited and designed around particular themes, which may relate to a specific set of issues, a geographical region or a particular cultural practice. If you wish to propose a special issue of this kind, please contact the Editor.

The International Journal of Cultural Policy was established in 1993 and is a pre-eminent journal in its field. It has an extensive international readership and addresses itself to all those with a serious intellectual interest in how and why different agents attempt to work on the cultural practices and values of individuals and societies.

If you wish to submit a manuscript to this journal, please read the Instructions for Authors. Authors have the option to publish open access in this journal via Taylor & Francis’ Open Select publishing program.