Culture is increasingly recognised as a vital facet of human economy for achieving global sustainable development goals. However, current cultural policy remains largely constrained by paradigms of growth and consumption, failing to translate high-level sustainability discourse into effective, regenerative activities. Hence, the 2025 special edition of the International Journal of Cultural Policy theorised the concept of Regenerative Cultural Policy, or RCP, as a potential approach that views culture, community, and environment as inseparable so net positive benefits of both human and natural systems may be created.

While RCP is theorised for global, inter-governmental milieu, this paper's authors believe there is lack of practical knowledge and engagement with local experts and practitioners, especially of Southeast Asia, even though there is synergy and mutual benefit between policy and practice evident there.

To suggest this theory, the research employs a qualitative, deep case study of Makhampom, a Thai contemporary arts group with a forty-year legacy of using theatre for social change and human rights empowerment. Utilising a multi-method triangulation of archival material and in-depth interviews, it systematically analyses Makhampom's praxis against RCP's core dimensions and theorised practices to reveal longstanding practices inexposed in contemporary academia.

The authors' findings demonstrate that Makhampom’s decades-long sustainability and grassroots success empirically validates the core feasibility of RCP, providing a necessary model for policy implementation. The study argues that formalising support for authentic community artists in Southeast Asia is a strategic imperative that could help realise RCP and a possible new paradigm for a regenerative future.

Authors:
Jodi Thiele, Independent Scholar, Singapore
Terence Si Peng Tan, Independent Scholar, Singapore

About the Presenter(s)
Jodi Thiele holds a Master of Arts and Cultural Leadership from LASALLE College of the Arts and is an arts practitioner and strategic consultant specialising in using art for community development and social change.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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