Cultures and Globalization

The notions of 'creative industry' and 'creative economy' have become ever more insistent in contemporary cultural, economic and urbanistic debates. Provoking vociferous opposition as well as overblown hyperbole the questions raised by these ideas can no longer be side-stepped or dismissed. This extremely rich book surveys the full range of the creative economy, from ethnic-based craftspeople to digital second lifers, and includes Africa and Asia alongside the heartlands of USA and Europe. In so doing it tackles some fundamental questions head-on. It gives full voice to those anxious about global homogenisation and those powerfully critical of the monopolisation and concentration of ownership and control by the mega-corporations. But as the key introductory and concluding chapters make clear, it is simply not possible any longer to ignore the enormous transformational power of the creative economy. We have to both understand the new cultural and economic landscape in which we live and to avoid the blanket condemnations of those who would argue that this global creative economy is inimical to meaningful culture. In this book we find the tools to help achieve both of these
Professor Justin O'Connor
School of Performance and Cultural Industries, University of Leeds

This catholic volume has succeeded admirably in drawing together a range of leading academics and renowned artists, cultural activists, and consultants to interrogate a series of critical questions about the cultural economy. Drawing from diverse disciplinary and theoretical positions, questions such as whether and how the cultural economy is becoming more globalized, the relationship between commodification and aesthetics, national and transnational patterns of investment, production, distribution and consumption of cultural goods and services, and the policy implications of these various trends, have been critically explored. These diversities of questions, perspectives and authors have been matched by an equally impressive geo-cultural coverage
Lily Kong
Professor of Geography, National University of Singapore

In the age of globalization we are no longer home alone. Migration brings other worlds into our own just as the global reach of the media transmits our world into the hearts and minds of others. Often incommensurate values are crammed together in the same public square. Increasingly we all today live in the kind of 'edge cultures' we used to see only on the frontiers of civilizations in places like Hong Kong or Istanbul. The resulting frictions and fusions are shaping the soul of the coming world order. I can think of no other project with the ambitious scope of defining this emergent reality than "The Cultures and Globalization Project". I can think of no more capable minds than Raj Isar and Helmut Anheier who can pull it off
Nathan Gardels
Editor-in-Chief, NPQ, Global Services, Los Angeles Times Syndicate/Tribune Media

This series represents an innovative approach to the central issues of globalization, that phenomenon of such undefined contours. This volume relates these to the cultural and creative industries in a wide range of powerful analytical perspectives
Lupwishi Mbuyumba
Director of the Observatory of Cultural Policies in Africa

A "strong editorial hand" is implemented throughout the book to create a unified volume which transcends a mere collection of diverse papers....The book provides a good presentation of our contemporary global socio-cultural and theoretical pluralism..a long lasting source of information
Culturelink Network