Implicit cultural policy, social clubs, the city as dialogue Gabrovo, A capital at Crossroads Sofia

Key Research & Case Studies

Several of our seminal research papers focus on community leadership and implicit cultural policy—the often-unseen policies and practices that shape the values binding communities together. We recommend starting your journey with one of our most widely referenced papers:

1. Implicit Cultural Policy – The Role of Social Clubs in Communities

Authors Ruth Cherrington and Petya Koleva offer a comparative study of areas of policy that are not explicitly labelled as “culture”, but nevertheless have a significant impact on cultural life and community development.

This comparative study explores how policies not explicitly labeled as “cultural” still shape community values and development. A prime example is the emergence of Social Clubs (WMCs) in the UK and chitalishte community clubs in Bulgaria—both born from citizen-led movements in early 20th-century Europe.

Origin: Citizen donations and voluntary work.
Impact: The chitalishte model spread across Europe, Socialist states, Latin America, and Asia, inspiring the creation of cultural houses.
Legacy: Many of these clubs still exist today, embodying inclusive principles that bridge educational, social, age, gender, and economic divides.

Post-COVID Reflection:
The pandemic has sparked renewed interest in reclaiming community power through cultural and nature-based resilience-building.

2. The City as Dialogue – Gabrovo, Bulgaria

Authors: Mariana Prodanova & Petya Koleva

Gabrovo’s transformation from a shrinking city to a cultural hub is analyzed through three key factors. The city’s participation in the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) competition (2019, 2025) played a pivotal role in this shift.

3. A Capital at Crossroads: Sofia, Bulgaria

Authors: Petya Koleva & Elisa Calosi (Pratt Institute, New York, 2017)

In 2011, the art group Destructive Creation reimagined a Soviet-era monument in Sofia, adding the inscription “Keep up with the times” alongside comic characters like Santa Claus and the Joker. This intervention critiqued Bulgaria’s rapid changes, including globalization and neoliberalism.

Relevance Today:
25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the tension between global trends and local identity remains urgent.