Researcher
European Association of Cultural Researchers e.V.

Ritva Mitchell

Cultural Researcher; Vice-President of the ERICarts Network and Institute - until her death in June 2022

Ritva Mitchell was the former director of research for the Finnish Foundation for Cultural Policy Research - CUPORE - and acted over 20 years as President of the Board of Governors of the European Institute for Comparative Cultural Research - ERICarts. She was a social scientist who specialised in cultural research for the past 35 years. She worked as a researcher at the University of Helsinki, was Head of Research at the Arts Council of Finland, and Programme Advisor at the Council of Europe.
Ritva worked as an expert for the Finnish Minister of Education and Culture, the Nordic Council of Ministers, UNESCO, the EU and a number of governments in Europe and Asia. She has authored and edited books and written numerous articles on cultural development and cultural policies and lectures at different Finnish and European universities in cultural studies, particularly on European cultural policies and European integration.
Ritva acted on several advisory boards including the Nordic Baltic Platform, the International Intelligence on Culture, and the Fondazione Fitzcarraldo. She has been the President of CIRCLE Network and of the Orientation Board for the European Diploma in Cultural Management.

Main research fields:
  • Access / participation
  • Cultural policies / arts administration
  • Development / 'South-North' relations
  • Diversity / intercultural studies
  • Education / training
  • European cooperation / integration
  • Heritage / history
  • Internat. relations / cult. diplomacy
  • Mass media (press, TV/radio, film)
  • New media / digital culture
  • Socio-cultural and gender studies
Institutional background:
  • Arm's-length bodies (e.g. cultural institutes)
  • Artists' organisations and initiatives
  • European networks/advocacy bodies (NGOs)
  • Independent research institutes/Observatories
  • National Governments and agencies
  • Official European/Inter-governmental bodies
  • Universities/Academic institutes

Contact

Helsinki
Finland
ritva.mitchell@gmail.com