Difficult Conversations

This publication is the result of a partnership between the British Council, Ulster University and the University of Canberra, initiated as part of the 2022 UK/Australia Season – itself a partnership between the British Council and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The 2022 Season delivered a vibrant programme celebrating the diverse and innovative artist communities and cultural sectors of each nation. This essay series develops that theme, focusing on the roles of the arts, creativity and culture in helping to navigate provocative and divisive issues in our communities.

The essays, poems and artwork contained within the series powerfully demonstrate, collectively and individually, how arts research can inspire us to think differently about injustice and inequality in our societies. They show how artists, performers, poets, curators and cultural researchers can all trigger meaningful, and potentially reparative, engagement with past trauma and conflicts and their lingering impacts in the present day. With a primary focus on the contexts of Australia and Northern Ireland, but including also discussions relating to Japan, Canada, Chile and attending to themes that are of global relevance, this volume, and the wider Difficult Conversations project of which it is part, present a diverse, eloquent and provocative statement on the potential of the arts and culture to encourage dialogue and to help build trust and understanding.