Publications

Summary

The Culture in the Regions axis of the Research Chair in Creative Economy and Well-Being (CREAT) embarked over the past year on a collective reflection on the very concept of culture in the regions. The axis aims to better understand and support cultural dynamics outside major urban centres, highlighting the role of artistic and cultural initiatives in local development, community well-being, and the regional creative economy. Several questions have emerged. What is culture in the regions? What does the combination of the terms “culture,” “in,” and “regions” represent, and how does this meaning evolve across different regional contexts? What characterizes a regional cultural production? If a cultural work is produced in a major urban centre and presented in the regions, can it still be considered culture in the regions?

Following the initial reflections undertaken within the axis, a citizen consultation workshop, organized in collaboration with Culture pour tous!, was held in various regions of Quebec as part of the 29th edition of the Journées de la culture, marking the first step in this process. A literature review on the subject was then initiated in fall 2025, followed by a mini-series of lunchtime lectures in early 2026. These activities ultimately led to the organization of these Study Days on the notion of culture in the regions, accompanied by a scientific poster competition for students, marking the final stage of this reflective process. A visual poster competition was also organized as part of a course. Together, these initiatives aim to foster collective reflection and strengthen ties between cultural communities, academic institutions, and citizens.