Culture is Not an Industry

Justin O’Connor is Professor of Cultural Economy at the University of South Australia. His books include Red Creative: Culture and Modernity in China (2020) with Xin Gu and Reset: Art, Culture and the Foundational Economy (2022).

• Introduction: culture and democracy1 Creative industries2 Culture goes missing 3 Necessity or luxury? 4 Culture and the social foundations 5 Cultural infrastructures 6 Culture and economyIndex

'Imaginative culture – art, stories, decoration, styles – is how we anticipate the future and feel our way into it: our antennae. Treating culture as an industry subject to the crude rules of neoliberalism doesn’t make any more sense than treating healthcare the same way. Justin O’Connor’s brilliant book argues for a holistic, ecological vision of culture in which it is seen as an essential part of the maintenance of a functioning society.'Brian Eno‘Culture is not an industry radically remakes the case for culture and cultural policy in the twenty-first century. Rejecting the trend for culture’s depoliticisation and the illusions of the "creative industries", O’Connor proposes a dynamic new approach where culture is recentred as foundational to citizenship, democracy and a new kind of economy.'Mark Banks, Professor of Cultural Economy, University of Glasgow‘A passionate and well-argued “corrective” that seeks to rebalance the cultural scales away from the economic to a larger sense of social purpose. The book’s central argument is that we must reclaim art, give it place and recognition in all and every society that wishes to live well and without fear. I’ll buy that…’Josephine Burns, Co-Founder of BOP Consulting‘In an era of culture wars and governmental disdain for “mickey mouse degrees” and anything that can't have a price tag placed on it, and in the aftermath of the millennial era when post-industrial towns were supposedly transformed by giant sculptures, Justin O'Connor makes a brave and important argument that culture – high and low – is important for its own sake.’Owen Hatherley, author of Clean Living Under Difficult Circumstances'The way we talk about culture in society has become narrow and stale, concerned only with economics or questions of representation. This book offers us a broader critique that does not neglect these questions but deepens them. With scholarship, wit and a clarity of thought, it promises to reset the cultural conversation in the years ahead.'Kate Oakley, Professor of Cultural Policy, University of Glasgow‘Justin O'Connor restores culture to its rightful place as the embodiment of meaning. He shows how it is a public good that needs to be treasured and nurtured, not just, or even mainly, an industry. He throws down the gauntlet to the prevailing dogma and points to ways that culture can be better valued. Not as a tool of industry or politics – but the essence of our humanity and a pillar of any successful society.’Julianne Schultz, Professor Emerita, Media and Culture, Griffith University‘O'Connor's book is a hugely important cultural act in itself, lifting our sights beyond the “damaged present” and imagining new foundations with culture at the heart of a renewed democracy and a collective future reoriented around the common good.’Dan Hill, Director of Melbourne School of Design'In a world where austerity politics and neoliberal metrics dominate cultural discourse, this book reminds us that culture is not an optional extra, but how we imagine futures, process histories, and create shared meaning. It insists that we must resist the flattening of culture into “bums on seats” or “value for money,” and instead fight for the infrastructures, freedoms, and solidarities that allow culture to flourish. Culture is Not an Industry is good reading for artists, policymakers, and anyone who cares about building a society where cultural life is a right, not a privilege.'Dr Andrew Westle, The Agency of Change'According to O’Connor, this sector needs a new language to describe its value. A language that does not reduce culture to a tool for economic growth, but emphasizes its role in building social bonds and democracy.'Anna Gromnicka, Art Monitor 'The arts have a crucial role in repairing our collective senses. “Culture is Not an Industry” proposes, if not a fully developed path forward, at least a promising direction.'Boris Oicherman, Hybrid Arts'A thoughtful and provocative addition to debates around the role of the cultural and creative industries in contemporary society. O'Connor explores the impact of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis on today's cultural landscape.'Claire Sedgwick, The Sociological Review'O’Connor draws on an impressive range of sources for his study, and he makes a number of penetrating criticisms of earlier government support for the arts.--D. L. LeMahieu, emeritus, Lake Forest CollegeSumming Up: Recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals.'CHOICE October 2024 Vol. 62 No. 2