Introduction: cultural policy on the island of Ireland

Cultural policy and the administration and management of culture on the island of Ireland constitute a process of cooperation and competition within and between polities; one that is especially influenced by translocal mobilities, networks, practices and subjectivities whether urban, rural or border situated. On the island, the production and dissemination of symbolic goods relate not only to socio-political, historical and cultural notions of identity but also to the ways in which entire industries, sectors and governments may be intertwined economically, administratively and culturally. This introduction articulates the range, depth and history of cultural policy scholarship on the island of Ireland (Ireland and Northern Ireland) from multiple disciplines. Positioning scholarship on the island as part of a broader, global field of cultural policy studies, this introduction argues for the unique contribution that the two-polity island can bring to situated study of cultural policy. It equally argues for greater questioning of how knowledge is formed in the study and making of cultural policy. It seeks to promote further exchange and dialogue among policy scholars as well as practitioners in policy, arts, culture and creativity.