The Definition of ‘Cultural Industries文化产业的定义.pdfVIP

The Definition of ‘Cultural Industries’ Dr. Justin O’Connor Director Manchester Institute for Popular Culture Manchester Metropolitan University Introduction The definition of the cultural industries has been the subject of intense debate over the last few years, especially within the framework of local, national and European policy development. This debate has been particularly frustrating. Though there is great and growing interest in this subject there are currently few real theoretical or policy models available. European conferences on this issue are the most frustrating, where arguments are primarily rhetorical and definitions made incommensurable by the most unimaginative empiricism. This situation of course reflects deeper conflicts and uncertainties with the concept, indicated by the complete absence of any policy paper from the EC on the subject. A policy framework for the cultural industries does present real organisational and administrative problems, but many of these stem from conceptual and definitional problems, reflecting profound transformations in the role of ‘culture’ in contemporary economy and society. The necessary uncertainty around these transformations have made make the full implications of the cultural industries debate unclear; but these implications have been treated more in terms of rhetoric than conceptual analysis because policy debates are also positional struggles. This can been seen in the way in which the debate very quickly turns to the ‘value’ of culture – constantly shifting between economic, social and aesthetic understandings of ‘value’. Couching discussion around the ‘value’ or ‘benefits’ of culture has been a major theme in the world of publicly funded arts and culture since the growing threat of budgetary cuts in the 1980s (though it has always been there). Claims as to the external benefits of culture (the cultural industries adding employment to the list of such benefits) h