The Politics of Cultural Work [Hardcover]

Through a wide-ranging study of labour in the cultural industries, this book critically evaluates how various sociological traditions - including critical theory, governmentality and liberal-democratic approaches - have sought to theorize the creative cultural worker, in art, music, media and design-based occupations.Acknowledgements Introducing Cultural Work 'Culture Industry' and Cultural Work Governmentality and Cultural Work The Construction of Creativity Choice, Reflexivity and 'Alternative' Cultural Work Space, Place and Cultural Work Cultural Work and Moral Futures Appendix Bibliography Index

'This is an enormously helpful resource for understanding cultural work and an important contribution to social theory. Banks is brave enough to offer hope, but intelligent enough to show that there are no easy answers to the important political questions he raises'. - Professor David Hesmondhalgh, Institute of Communications Studies, University of Leeds, UK

MARK BANKS is Reader in Sociology, The Open University, UK. Formerly a Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, his principal interest is in cultural economy, especially processes of work and identity formation in the cultural industries. Other research interests include the sociology of creativity, cultural policy, space and cultural criminology.