Sixteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the result of qualitative research (2020) on the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in Polish urban culture sector, based on six large cities selected due to their most influential role in Polish cultural landscape. The scholars analyzed three variables characteristic of crisis situation: the adequacy of municipal council assistance for art, innovative solutions and idea of solidarity. The term of adequacy is related to the issue of appropriate response of the authorities to help the cultural sector in crisis. Innovation is described in political sciences as a condition of cultural development and as an essential crisis management tool. Solidarity is one of the methods of dealing with cultural transformation. Discussion about the variables described above has allowed to explore the way of adapting the cultural sector to the crisis. Networking, hybridization, streaming, “culture at home”, shifting sense of solidarity from a horizontal to a vertical position - all of these phenomena can be defined after Tony Judt’s “an attitude of understanding for development”. Resilience is the ability to deal with challenges and flexibly adapt to changing circumstances. It is a dynamic process reflecting the adaptation of an individual/group despite traumatic experiences. Analyzing the reaction of representatives of Polish cultural institutions and artists on the pandemic and the aid of local authorities offered to the sector, the researchers may explain the process of transformation of Polish culture, the process of gaining resilience by cities cultural ecosystem, and thus, adapting society to extreme situations.