Art and Civil Action: Cultural Organizations in the European Civil Domain

In this article, the place of new cultural organizationsin the civil domain is analysed. The authors describe a theoretical model that they call the ‘civil chain’, describing the different phases in which civil organizations develop themselves. The civil chain delivers analytic insights into the origin of typical problems of contemporary civil actions and movements, such as the sustainability of civil organizations and the globalization of the public sphere. Using this theoretical model in two casestudies (Les Têtes de l’Art in Marseille and Culture 2 Commons in Zagreb), they demonstrate how cultural practices and artistic tools play an increasingly important role in civil practices, which are becoming more and more hybrid.