SoFest

Cultural policies are undergoing a major overhaul in the wake of various territorial reforms (regions, metropolitan areas, and new boundaries for public intermunicipal cooperation agencies, etc.). Crucial questions regardingartistic independence and diversityare being raised in light of the trend toward concentration in the sector.

This study, unique in its scope and methodology, sheds concrete light on the role festivals play in regional development.

The SoFEST! study, initiated and coordinated by France Festivals, is the resultof close collaboration between a research team—co-led by Emmanuel Négrier and Aurélien Djakouane—regional and national festival networks(the Collectif des festivals, De Concert!, Fédération des Festivals de Chanson Francophone) as well as regional agencies (Grand Est and Occitanie).Partners supportingthe projectincludethe DEPS (Department of Studies and Forecasting at the Ministry of Culture), Sacem, and Crédit Coopératif.

The SoFEST! research project is developing several methods tailored to each of the five components.

Its general approach combines the benefits of aquantitative methodology(surveys of audience members, volunteers, and festivals) with the strengths of aqualitative methodology (interviews, on-site observations, and analyses of discourse and images). The team assembled by Emmanuel Négrier (CEPEL-CNRS, University of Montpellier) and Aurélien Djakouane (SOPHIAPOL, University of Paris Nanterre) comprises about ten researchers from the disciplines essential to the project’s success: political science, sociology, economics, and information and communication.

SoFEST! by the numbers:

•30,000 audience surveyscollected

•2,000volunteers

•13 regions

•14 partners

• Over 240performing arts festivalsanalyzed

• Over 100 interviewsand on-site observations

More information: Website