The 4 Differences Between Cultural Democratization and Cultural Democracy

It is well known that all human beings have duties and rights under equal conditions; right to decent housing, right to feed ourselves daily, and in general terms, we have the right to lead a decent life.

Within this range of rights is also that of education and the possibility of accessing the cultural assets of the society in which we live. In this article We are going to know the differences between cultural democratization and cultural democracy terms that lend themselves to a lot of confusion and of which it is important to have a clear notion.

What is cultural democracy?

Cultural democracy refers to the idea that men and women are cultural entities that must be formed autonomously and freely, motivated by their particular interests regarding the cultural issues that exist within them.

In this way, taking into account the above, we can now get an idea of ​​how the differences between cultural democratization and cultural democracy are outlined; Cultural democracy emphasizes the need for let the individual himself participate in cultural life without imposed limitations

In this order of ideas, when we talk about the existence of cultural democracy we are referring to the fact that it is clearly the individuals themselves who are motivated to know certain cultural aspects, without the need for external direction or government or business impositions. There is no need for strategic plans for people to become culturally involved in activities programmed by the state or by some other social group that promotes them. Incentives to get the population to participate in cultural activities can be seen as a form of manipulation or bias that discriminates against certain cultural expressions to give voice to others.

Although it does not hurt that there are various cultural alternatives available to the population, The ideal is that it is the subject himself who freely decides in which ones he prefers to participate without having any type of external pressure that leads him to get involved in any activity of this type.

What is cultural democratization?

This position is the most common and widespread among the masses. From this perspective, it is believed that the greater the cultural diffusion from the point of view of public projection and institutional support, the greater the incursion of the population into cultural activities born from the intellectual sensitivity of the elite.

There is the idea that there can only be maximum cultural development as long as the population has the possibility of freely accessing elitist culture, and through the implementation of sophisticated advertising and communication machinery, as well as the economic support that makes the dissemination of this culture possible. For some sectors of the population this idea is somewhat invasive.

Cultural democratization is perceived by some as a form of manipulation, which pursues particular interests, which go beyond the very goal of bringing culture (that of the elite) to the masses From some sectors this method is seen as misleading advertising, which prevents people from freely choosing which activities and forms of expression they prefer to participate in.

In this sense, people go from being an active and participatory part of culture through their own means, to being a kind of spectator, who will only participate in the “elitist” cultural activities that the system offers them through the advertising it implements for some. of these movements.

In short, the democratization of culture proposes to be a kind of guide towards an “ideal culture”, which is planned by the state or by any other private entity that proposes it; which leads to passive participation on the part of the community, since it is not the citizens who decide freely.

Active participation can only occur when there is cultural democracy, where the subject is solely responsible for his or her choices and makes them from his or her own personal motivation, without any incentive or suggestion from external agents.

Differences between democracy and democratization in culture

Now we are going to see a list of the differences between democratization in culture and cultural democracy.

1. The model

On the one hand, the cultural democratization model promotes the dissemination of culture through instruments of propaganda and mass dissemination while cultural democracy invites people to freely participate in activities depending on their particular interests in culture.

2. The way of understanding culture

Cultural democratization understands this as a collective good which by default is not available to everyone and must be made available through some sophisticated methods. On the other hand, cultural democracy understands that culture is rather a personal and spontaneous process, which is built from daily coexistence.

3. The origin of culture

In cultural democratization The origin of this comes from the officialdom, that is, it is prepared according to the criteria of public employees who are dedicated to creating cultural strategies for the people. On the other hand, in cultural democracy it is the subject himself who decides in which activities he participates according to his motivation.

4. The proposal for citizen participation

When it comes to the democratization of culture, people participate as a kind of audience-spectator; They are subject to other people’s decisions about what kind of content to experience.

Instead, In cultural democracy, each person is an actor-participant In their own cultural experience, there is no dependence of any kind on the content in which the citizen wishes to participate.