Black Representation in British Cultural Policy

This chapter constructs ‘home’ as a conceptual framework for exploring and understanding a contextualized cultural policy landscape that utilizes the ephemeral context of the United Kingdom to develop a broader notion of cultural policy concerning people of the African diaspora. The purpose of the chapter, then, is to explore the issue of Black representation in the cultural policy landscape of the United Kingdom. The chapter addresses the broad question around how governmental institutions prohibit or promote the cultural practices and values of people of African descent, and specifically: how and where does the contemporary cultural policy landscape represent Black British culture? Using a critical approach to the most recent arts council strategy documents, this chapter highlights the distinct perspectives that govern the different British countries and how they address Black cultural needs. Ultimately, this chapter contributes to a burgeoning field of knowledge that investigates how institutional stakeholders enculturate people of African descent’s cultural practices and values. While focused on the Black British context, the overarching call of this chapter encourages cross-country research studies that compare the impact of a cultural policy landscape across Western societies on global Black communities.