Culture is not an industry: Reclaiming art and culture for the common good

by Justin O'Connor

Culture is at the heart to what it means to be human. But twenty-five years ago, the British government rebranded art and culture as ‘creative industries’, valued for their economic contribution, and set out to launch the UK as the creative workshop of a globalised world.

Where does that leave art and culture now? Facing exhausted workers and a lack of funding and vision, culture finds itself in the grip of accountancy firms, creativity gurus and Ted Talkers. At a time of sweeping geo-political turmoil, culture has been de-politicised, its radical energies reduced to factors of industrial production. This book is about what happens when an essential part of our democratic citizenship, fundamental to our human rights, is reduced to an industry.

Culture is not and industry argues that art and culture need to renew their social contract and re-align with the radical agenda for a more equitable future. Bold and uncompromising, the book offers a powerful vision for change.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sociology

304 pages, Paperback

Published February 27, 2024

Reviews

[Andrew Westle · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Culture is how we remember the past and imagine the future. It is part of how we become free individuals in a democratic society.”

This book offers a compelling and timely thesis: that culture is not and should never be reduced to a policy tool or economic metric. Instead, it is part of the living fabric of society, connected with questions of democracy, equity, and meaning.

The writer makes a bold and urgent case against the neoliberal framing of culture as an “industry,” measured only in economic outputs, social impact metrics, or audience numbers. Instead, he argues for culture as a foundational part of civic life something that enables freedom, imagination, and collective identity. This isn’t just a nostalgic plea, it’s a critical reimagining of how we structure and fund cultural infrastructures in a time of escalating inequality and precariousness.

The pages that resonated most with me highlight how cultural boards have become sites of elite accumulation, where “skills-based” appointments mask deep exclusions. The framing of culture as a tool for urban regeneration or economic development, rather than a right or a space for democratic participation comes under sharp critique. There is a powerful urgency in the book’s call to reclaim culture as a public good, not a market commodity.

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 essential reading for artists, policymakers, and anyone who cares about building a society where cultural life is a right, not a privilege.

[Frederic De meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

(dit is een reactie op de vermoedelijke Nederlandse vertaling 'Reset - een nieuw begin voor kunst en cultuur' uitgegeven door Starfish Books)
Een behoorlijk overtuigend betoog voor een moeilijk onderwerp: hoe kunst en cultuur uit de greep te halen en houden van de allesoverheersende marktlogica. Centraal in zijn betoog is de idee van Foundational Economy, met dewelke ik nog niet vertrouwd was. De lectuur bracht me alleszins op een aantal nieuwe zienswijzen en inzichten, al blijft het al bij al niet helemaal overtuigend.

[Morten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bogen spider hele CCI udviklingen med stor indsigt og i bagklogskabens klare lys. Anbefalingerne er befriende og rigtig godt set, omend det utopia der opstilles som endemålet nok er lige lovligt rødt til min smag. Dog virkelig gode diagnoser og forslag.

[Orlaith · Rating 2 out of 5]

could have been an email