dr. AM (Mafalda) Damaso

Biography

Mafalda Dâmaso is Researcher at Erasmus University Rotterdam, which she originally joined in 2021 as Lecturer in Cultural Industries and Policy. Her research investigates the intersections between culture, policy, diversity management and international relations, with a particular focus of attention on the European Union’s transnational cultural policy. She is also interested in expanding current academic understanding of the links between culture, the economy, and development. Currently, Mafalda is EUR’s Principal Investigator on REBOOT (REviving, BOsting, Optimising and Transforming European Film Competitiveness), a project funded by Horizon Europe (2023-2026) and coordinated by the University of Vienna. REBOOT aims to connect the existing strengths of the European Film Industry, identify and overcome weaknesses, and plan for future competitiveness in the fields of policy, practice and experience. Mafalda is also working on an edited book about the European Union’s cultural policy for De Gruyter (expected in in 2024) and on a co-edited special issue for the International Journal of Cultural Policy (expected in 2025).

Areas of Expertise: EU cultural policy, cultural diplomacy/relations and public diplomacy, European film industry, geopolitics of culture

Previously, Mafalda was Lecturer in Culture, Media and Creative Industries Education in the Department of Culture, Media and Creative industries at King’s College London, and an Associate Lecturer in the Department of Visual Culture at Goldsmiths, University of London. She was also Visiting Lecturer in the Economic and Social Sciences Department of the Institut Catholique de Paris, and a Postdoctoral Research Assistant working on a project led by the University of the Arts London funded by the British government (DMCS and the UKRI). In 2019–2021, Mafalda was Research Fellow with the Centre on Public Diplomacy of the University of Southern California, where she led empirical research on the EU’s approach to culture in foreign affairs. She is a Visiting Research Fellow at King's College London.

As an educator, she has experience of teaching at BA and MA levels across a range of disciplines, including cultural policy, creative economy, creative economics, cultural management, cultural diplomacy, history of art, and research architecture. Her teaching method is guided by a problem-driven approach to the examination of current debates and broader issues, drawing on methods such as exercises based on real world problems, visual media analysis, and case studies encouraging critical reflection.

Beyond academia, Mafalda was the lead researcher on a project commissioned by the European Parliament leading to policy recommendations to strengthen the status of artists and cultural workers with Cultural Action Europe, the main European network of cultural organisations, artists and policymakers, and currently works as policy expert for the consortium CultureForHealth, which implements the Preparatory Action Bottom-Up Policy Development for Culture and Well-being in the EU. Mafalda also serves as Subject Matter Expert for the Canada Council for the Arts and as expert for the Latvian Council of Science. Finally, she is a member of the management committee of the International Cultural Relations Research Alliance, set by the British Council and the German Institute of Foreign Cultural Relations.

Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication

Researcher | Department of Arts and Culture Studies
Email
damaso@eshcc.eur.nl

Work

  • Mafalda Damaso (10 May 2024) - How the EU uses culture as a foreign policy tool, The Parliament Magazine

  • Mafalda Damaso (2024) - Impact of Political Dynamics on International Cultural Relations (Speaker)
    Activity: Oral presentation Academic
  • Mafalda Damaso (2024) - Shifting European Landscapes: How EU Elections Will Shape UK Foreign Policy (Participant)
    Activity: Attending an event Professional
  • Mafalda Damaso (2024) - Guest speaker, European Parliament, CULT Committee Exchange of views, Recent developments in the EU's Cultural Diplomacy (Speaker)
    Activity: Oral presentation Academic
  • Mafalda Damaso (2023) - Guest speaker, Policy directions in EU international cultural relations towards 2024, Culture Solutions roundtable, European Parliament (Speaker)
    Activity: Oral presentation Professional
  • Mafalda Damaso Bernardino (2022) - EUNIC Knowledge Sharing Workshop Report: Afghanistan - Providing Professional Perspectives for Displaced Afghan Cultural Workers (Participant)
    Activity: Other Professional
  • Mafalda Damaso (2022) - Guest speaker, closed meeting with the EU Member State Cultural Counsellors in Washington, European Union Delegation to the United States in Washington (Speaker)
    Activity: Oral presentation Academic
  • Mafalda Damaso (2022) - Rencontres Européennes de la Création Artistique, French Presidency of the Council of the European Union (Participant)
    Activity: Attending an event Academic
  • Mafalda Damaso (2022) - Research seminar (Participant)
    Activity: Attending an event Academic
  • Mafalda Damaso (2021) - Guest talk. To what extent can cultural policy be transnationalised? The case of the European Union (Speaker)
    Activity: Oral presentation Academic
  • Mafalda Damaso (2021) - International Cultural Relations Research Alliance (External organisation) (Chair)
    Activity: Membership of committee Academic

  • Mafalda Damaso Bernardino (2021) - Research Fellowship, Department of Culture, Media and Creative Industries
  • Mafalda Damaso Bernardino (2019) - 2019–2021 Research Fellowship, Centre on Public DIplomacy, University of Southern California

Inter­national Cultural Relations Research Allianc

Start date approval
September 2023
End date approval
September 2026
Place
LONDON

UK Coalition for Cultural Diversity

Start date approval
September 2023
End date approval
September 2026
Place
LONDON

Creative UK

Start date approval
November 2023
End date approval
October 2025
Place
LONDON
Description
Member, UK Council

Parsuk, Portuguese Association of Researchers UK

Start date approval
November 2023
End date approval
October 2025
Place
LONDON
Description
Member, Scientific Council

The British Foreign Policy Group

Start date approval
April 2024
End date approval
March 2027
Place
LONDON
Description
Associate Fellow

Robert Schuman Centre, European University Institu

Start date approval
September 2024
End date approval
January 2025
Place
FLORENCE

Internship

Year Level
BA-2, BA-2

Creat. Econ. and Creat. Org.

Year Level
Minor, Other

Econ. Geogr. of Creat. and Urban Dev.

Year Level
Pre-master, BA-3, BA-3, BA-2, BA-2

Advanced Ec. Aspects of Cult. Industr.

Year Level
Pre-master, BA-3, BA-3, BA-2, BA-2

Innovation and Cultural Industries

Level
MA
Year Level
MA

Master Thesis

Level
MA
Year Level
MA

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