IN SITU Launches Call for Papers for Special Issue Proposal in the International Journal of Cultural Policy

Title
Local–National–European Policies for Culture in Non-Urban Areas: Tensions, Strategies, and Needs

Editors
Julius Heinicke, Nancy Duxbury, and Helena Walther

The IN SITU project is pleased to announce a Call for Papers for a Special Issue Proposal for the International Journal of Cultural Policy. This special issue will explore the relationships between local, national, and European policies for culture in non-urban areas, examining the tensions, strategies, and needs that shape these contexts across Europe and beyond.

Launched in 2022, IN SITU investigates place-based innovation, cultural and creative industries (CCIs), and cultural policy in non-urban regions across the EU. Combining research and experimental actions, the project aims to strengthen the innovation capacities and potential of CCIs operating outside major urban centres.

Findings from IN SITU’s six research Labs highlight the importance of visibility and deeper understanding of non-urban cultural ecosystems—motivating this special issue, which seeks to open up a global conversation on these themes.

Scope and Topics

As outlined in the Call for Contributions, papers that address the following dimensions are encouraged for submission:

• The respective needs of rural areas and their cultural and creative agents to develop their potential, and the cultural policy implementations of this at various levels.
• Cultural policy concepts for developing the potential of non-urban areas, and the challenges of different understandings of terms, concepts and objectives at the respective regional, national and European levels.
• Alignments and tensions regarding coordination of local-regional-national-European cultural policies, with examples of mapping, bottom-up models and other case studies that illuminate or address this issue.

Both theoretical perspectives and empirical analyses are welcomed, as well as innovative case studies that broaden the understanding of non-urban cultural policy.

Submission Details

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit an abstract (400–500 words) outlining their intended contribution. Abstracts should specify the theoretical framework, methodology, and expected findings, and be accompanied by a brief CV highlighting relevant publications and review experience.

Abstracts should be sent by email to walther@uni-hildesheim.de by 15 November 2025.

See full details about the Call for Contributions here.

Timeline

Should the Special Issue proposal be accepted by the International Journal of Cultural Policy, all full articles will undergo peer review according to the journal’s standard processes.

For further details on scope, suggested topics, and submission guidelines, please consult the full Call for Papers.

For further information:

Julius Heinicke
University of Hildesheim, Germany
Email: heinicke@uni-hildesheim.de
Web: https://insituculture.eu

The “IN SITU: Place-based innovation of cultural and creative industries in non-urban areas” project combines research and experimental actions to advance the innovation-related practices, capacities, and potential of cultural and creative industries (CCIs) based in non-urban areas of the EU. The project is funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe Program (project no.101061747). It began on July 1, 2022, and will run for four years. The IN SITU project consortium comprises 13 Full Partners from 12 countries, consisting of 11 research institutions, a European-wide cultural network, and a national cultural foundation.