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Date Posted: 2003-01-14 09:47:52
Author: Scott
Allen raises some interesting points, and I think it is very important to note that the definitions supplied here are really meant to be 'indicators' or even 'road signs' on the direction of ccd rather than concrete or limiting definitions. If they don't in fact do that, then I hope these and subsequent postings will turn this section of ccd.net into something which does.
CCD is both a fluid and hopefully developing field of practice. That means that any definition supplied will be updated/superceded by what the field calling itself ccd is actually doing.
Starting with the latter points of Allen's post:
"ccd could not just be about community arts applying itself through arts workers but would need to be broadened to include other expressions of human skill in other sectors eg social arts, economic arts, political arts, philanthropic arts and religious arts expressing themselves through their respective agents of change (arts workers)"
Certainly when it comes to funding bodies, 'Art' is a defining factor of mainstream ccd practice. Can you apply ccd principles to other endeavours as Allen suggests? Definitely.
Would you call it then 'Cultural' Development? Perhaps it is 'culture' which needs defining rather than Art. My instincts (developed through my original training as an archaeologist) are that Culture is everything which incorporates a way of life - not just the narrower cultural practices and cultural products usually referred to as Art.
That means fashion, architecture, cooking and even things like economics, sport and political practices are indeed Cultural phenomena. So yes I would agree. Community based developmental activiity in any of these areas could just as easily be seen as ccd.
"Those Indigenous cultures already whole and complete that do not require change by development or by transformation, but have been colonised and rendered dependent by the dominant society, are not practicing ccd as defined by their dominant peers but are actually practicing survival"
I don't think that undertaking traditional cultural practices is quite what I would term ccd. Developing new ones certainly is. I think there must be a 'developmental' aspect whether that is developing a new or changing community culture or using cultural activities to develop some other aspect of a community is equally ccd.
As to the word development, I think it tends to assume a positive change rather than a negative one...maybe not in terms of dictionary definition but certainly in its use. Sure a cancer 'develops' but you wouldn't say that the human body develops as a result of that cancer.
Allen, you aren't a space cadet as far as I can see from your post(!) and it is always good to remind yourself that progress tends to come from dissent rather than agreement.
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