Jean Vilar and the "Avignon Encounters" The Birth of Cultural Policies 1964-1970.

The article considers the role of Jean Vilar and his Avignon Encounters in the birth of cultural policies in France from 1964 to 1970. The Avignon Encounters gave artists, professionals, elected representatives, administrators and researchers the opportunity to identify the basic issues behind a constructed policy. In line with the thinking done by the Théâtre National Populaire (TNP), Vilar was aware of the social purposes of cultural development. The themes selected for the Avignon Encounters bear witness to several issues facing those involved in culture development. The Encounters acted as a vital step in the design and construction of the surveys on the cultural policies of local bodies.