Management of Sustainable Development Sibiu, Romania, Volume 8, No.

1, June 2016

10.1515/msd-2016-0006

CULTURAL INSTITUTES AND THEIR ROLE IN SOCIETY

Liu, QIAN1, Zhao, QI2

1, 2
Beijing Language and Culture University, Confucius Institute, China, e-mail [email protected]

ABSTRACT: Culture is “driver and enabler of sustainable development”. In the context of globalization, cultural exchanges are
increasing, the role of language as a carrier of culture is more and more evident. Many countries even include it in the national strategy,
and it became an important government action. Confucius Institute is an important platform for Sino-foreign cultural exchanges and
mutual learning”. And the same of the other cultural institutes which have been mentioned in this paper. They are all playing a role
of the international community civilization messenger, they are bridges to connect the native countries and abroad, they are Culture
Ambassadors who help the comprehension and cooperation among people and countries.
KEYWORDS: culture, cultural institutes, language teaching, cultural exchange

1. CULTURE 2.1. Cultural institutes and the role in society

Culture is "that complex whole which includes knowledge, 2.1.1. British Council:
belief, art, morals, law, custom and any other capabilities and It was firstly founded in 1934, with the vision of that the future
habits acquired by man as a member of society."7, E.B. Tylor for the UK depends on people of all cultures living and working
said. Instead, in a contemporary variant, "Culture is defined as a together on foundations of education, mutual understanding,
social domain that emphasizes the practices, discourses, and respect and trust.13
material expressions, which, over time, express the continuities
and discontinuities of social meaning of a life held in common."8 The mission of British Council is to create international
The United Nations agency UNESCO has defined culture as the opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and
"set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual, and emotional build trust between them worldwide.14
features of society or a social group, and that it encompasses, in The British Council offers three kinds of services which
addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, includes:
value systems, traditions and beliefs."9 In its rich diversity,
culture has intrinsic value for development as well as social • English teaching;
cohesion and peace.10 Acceptance and recognition of cultural • Education and Society;
• The Arts.
diversity… are conducive to dialogue among civilizations and
cultures, respect and mutual understanding.11 The promotion of The aim of each service is:
cultural diversity and its corollary dialogue, has become one of English teaching aims to bring high quality language materials
the most pressing contemporary issues, the UNESCO Universal to every learner and teacher who wants them. In developing and
Declaration on Cultural Diversity, 2001 has mentioned.12 post-conflict countries they teach English and train teachers
through radio, web and TV broadcasts. The British Council
2. CULTURAL INSTITUTES offers over three million UK examinations worldwide, helping
In this paper, we will take the six main cultural institutes as people gain access to trusted qualifications to support their
examples: the British Council, Alliance Francaise, Goethe- career and study prospects.
Institut, Instituto Cervantes, Romanian Cultural Institute and
Education and Society aims to help transform national education
Confucius Institutes.
systems, builds more inclusive and open societies and increases
young people’s opportunities. The British Council encourages

7 Tylor, E. in Seymour-Smith, C. (1986) Macmillan Dictionary of 10 http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-

Anthropology. The Macmillan Press LTD. URL_ID=34321&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
8 James, Paul; with Magee, Liam; Scerri, Andy; Steger, Manfred B. 11 http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-
(2015). Urban Sustainability in Theory and Practice: Circles of URL_ID=34321&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Sustainability. London: Routledge. p. 53. 12 The UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, 2001
9 UNESCO, Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity. Retrieved 13 http://www.britishcouncil.sg/about/vision-mission

October 14, 2007. 14 http://www.britishcouncil.sg/about/vision-mission

Unauthenticated 45
Download Date | 10/9/18 5:07 AM
international students to go and study in the UK, and British fostering knowledge of the cultures of Spanish-speaking
students to experience life abroad. It also brings schools around countries throughout the world.
the world together so young people and teachers from different
The mission of Instituto Cervantes is to promote the study and
countries can share with and learn from each other.
the teaching of Spanish language and culture.
The Arts involves the very best British and international artistic
The Instituto Cervantes:
talent. They help increase audiences for international work in the
UK and for UK work globally. It brings artists together and • Organizes the Diplomas of Spanish as a Foreign Language
support the development of skills and policy in the arts and (DELE), as well as issuing the official certificates and diplomas
creative industries. Through this work they ensure that culture to the participants in our courses.
in its broadest sense plays a vital role in connecting with and • Organizes Spanish courses.
understanding each other. • Organizes Spanish teacher training.
• Supports Hispanists in their work.
In these ways, the British Council builds links between UK
• Organizes cultural events in conjunction with other
people and institutions and those around the world, helping to
organizations.
create trust and lay foundations for prosperity and security
around the world. 2.1.5. Romanian Cultural Institute:
2.1.2. Alliance Francaise: The Romanian Cultural Institute (RCI) was founded in July
2003 by reorganizing the Romanian Cultural Foundation and
It was firstly created in the year 1883, with a vision of Romanian Cultural Foundation Publishing. It is a public agency
The mission of Alliance Francaise is to promote French dedicated to cultural diplomacy and international arts
language and culture around the world. exchange.17
All Alliance Française work towards three essential tasks: The primary mission of RCI is to promote Romanian culture and
civilization in Romania and abroad.
• Offering French classes both in France and abroad
• Spreading awareness of French and Francophone culture The most important action lines of RCI are:
• Promoting cultural diversity
• Presenting compelling Romanian culture to international
Alliance Française have shared values which drive the network, audiences;
acting as the basis for all their actions: • Connecting specific Romanian cultural domains to broad
international venues and intellectual networks;
• Respect for cultural diversity, a passion for exchanges and • Subtly designing a new approach based on the
solidarity encouragement of daring contemporary arts on one hand and, on
• The values of the not-for-profit sector the other, the creative preservation of traditional cultural
• Conviviality Romanian values.
• Striving for excellence in all activities undertaken
• Modernity and innovation15 2.1.6. Confucius Institute:
2.1.3. Goethe-Institut: Confucius Institutes (CIs) are non-profit public institutions
which were firstly established in 2004. The vision of CIs is to
The first Goethe-Institut was set up in the year 1925. The vision meet the demands of foreign Chinese learners and contributing
of Goethe-Institut is to encourage intercultural dialogue and to the development of multiculturalism and the building of a
enable cultural involvement, to convey a comprehensive image harmonious world.
of Germany by providing information about cultural, social and
political life in their nation.16 The mission of CIs is to provide Chinese language and cultural
teaching resources and services worldwide and to promote
The mission of Goethe-Institut is to promote knowledge of the Chinese language and culture internationally.
German language abroad and foster international cultural
The CIs shall provide the following services:
cooperation.
• Chinese language teaching;
The Goethe-Institut offers four kinds of services which includes:
• Training Chinese language instructors and providing
• German language teaching; Chinese language teaching resources;
• Organizing cultural activities; • Holding the HSK examination (Chinese Proficiency Test)
• Organizing Gesellschaft für Akademische Testentwicklung and tests for the Certification of the Chinese Language Teachers;
e.V. exams; • Providing information and consultative services concerning
• Providing information on German culture, society and China's education, culture, and so forth;
politics. • Conducting language and cultural exchange activities
between China and other countries.
By the above services, it aims to change the militant German
image, and establish a colorful image of Germany. The aim of CIs is to meet the needs of people who’d like to learn
Chinese and to know about Chinese culture, to promote bilateral
2.1.4. Instituto Cervantes: exchanges between young people and build up mutual
The Instituto Cervantes was firstly set up by the Spanish understanding and friendship.
government in 1991. The vision of Instituto Cervantes is to

15 17
http://www.alliancefr.org/en/who-are-we http://www.icrny.org/au9-
16
https://www.goethe.de/en/uun/org.html The_Romanian_Cultural_Institute.html
Unauthenticated 46
Download Date | 10/9/18 5:07 AM
3. CONCLUSION 4. REFERENCES:
From the above we can see that all the Cultural Institutes have 1. Tylor, E. in Seymour-Smith, C. (1986) Macmillan
been mentioned are in common with promoting language Dictonary of Anthropology. The Macmillan Press LTD.
teaching, promoting cultural exchange and integration, 2. James, Paul; with Magee, Liam; Scerri, Andy; Steger,
deepening mutual understanding, etc. As is said in a 2012 Manfred B. (2015). Urban Sustainability in Theory and
thematic think piece drafted by the UN System Task Team on Practice: Circles of Sustainability. London: Routledge. p.
the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda “culture as driver and 53.
enabler of sustainable development”.18 They are more focused 3. UNESCO, Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity.
Retrieved October 14, 2007.
on the dialogue and cooperation. Li Yuanchao, the vice
4. http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.phpURL_ID=34321
President of China, mentioned in the Africa Confucius Institutes
&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Conference on the 24th June, in the year 2014, “Confucius
5. http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.phpURL_ID=34321
Institute is an important platform for Sino-foreign cultural
&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
exchanges and mutual learning”. 19The Cultural Institutes have 6. The UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity,
been mentioned in this paper are all playing a role of the 2001
international community civilization messenger, they are 7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_institution
bridges to connect the native countries and abroad, they are 8. http://www.britishcouncil.sg/about/vision-mission
Culture Ambassadors who help the comprehension and 9. http://www.britishcouncil.sg/about/vision-mission
cooperation among people and countries. 10. http://www.alliancefr.org/en/who-are-we
Besides, the British Council is committed against cultural 11. https://www.goethe.de/en/uun/org.html
infiltration; Alliance Française is committed to cultural 12. http://www.icrny.org/au9-
diversity; Goethe-Institut tries to change the militant German The_Romanian_Cultural_Institute.html
image, and establish a colorful image of Germany; Instituto 13. https://en.unesco.org/post2015/sites/post2015/files/Think
Cervantes tries to challenge the English cultural hegemony, and %20Piece%20Culture.pdf
efforts to develop commercial value of Spanish, and to support 14. 军、 红，《 国大学国际化的一个全球试验 —
their political and economic interests; The Romanian Cultural —孔 学院十年之路的模式、经验与政策前瞻
Institute dedicates to cultural diplomacy and international arts 》，《 国高教研究》2015年 04期
exchange; Confucius Institutes dedicates to the development of
multiculturalism and the building of a harmonious world.

18
李
19、田
军 田红，，中中中
中中中
际中中中中
中试验 ——
https://en.unesco.org/post2015/sites/post2015/files/Think%20P 孔
孔中孔孔孔
孔孔 中孔
孔、经验与
与与与
与》，，中
中中中
中中》2015孔
年04期
iece%20Culture.pdf
Unauthenticated 47
Download Date | 10/9/18 5:07 AM