By Engaging Our Emotions, Art Can Strengthen Our Democracies

Music, Theater, Visual Art, and Cinema Help Us Shape Debate and Bolster Citizenship

Can the arts be a stimulus for democracy? The question may seem strange because, in principle, there does not seem to be a relationship between the arts and democracy. What do theater, dance, cinema, and painting have to do with democracy? Or rather, what do these artistic manifestations have to do with politics?

The short answer: They have a lot to do with each other, and the relationship can have very positive effects.

How? The arts revolve around emotions. Democracy, on the other hand, corresponds to politics that, in a strict …