An Investigation of the Fondo Nacional de las Artes of Argentina Against the Background of the Changing Cultural Environment and Policies of the Democratic Government, 1983-1989

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the cultural policies and environment of the State upon a cultural institution, in this case the Fondo Nacional de las Arts (FNA) of Argentina, and to examine the possible changes that occurred within the institution after the transition to a democratic government. This thesis takes a detailed look at the history and activities of the FNA in the context of the cultural and political history, focusing specifically on the first period of democracy in the 1980s after the last military dictatorship in Argentina. The FNA is a decentralized organism linked to the Argentine government that provides financial support to the cultural sector through loans, grants, structural and material aid. This particular institution was chosen because it was in existence before and after the change in government with wide reaching federal and cultural objectives. It could be expected that with a major change in the cultural and political environment, the FNA would also drastically transform. However, there were no great changes in the institution. This thesis assesses the limited influence that the changing cultural environment and cultural policies had upon the FNA and why, as well as the implications for cultural policy formulation at the State level.