Learning to labour unequally: understanding the relationship between cultural production, cultural consumption and inequality

Abstract

Inequality has become essential to understanding contemporary society and is at the forefront of media, political and practice discussions of the future of the arts, particularly in the UK. Whilst there is a wealth of work on traditional areas of inequality, such as those associated with income or gender, the relationship between culture, specifically cultural value, and inequality is comparatively under-researched.The article considers inequality and cultural value from two points of view: how cultural value is consumed and how it is produced. The paper argues that these two activities are absolutely essential to understanding the relationship between culture and social inequality, but that the two activities have traditionally been considered separately in both academic research and public policy, despite the importance of culture to British and thus international policy agendas. The article uses the example of Higher Education (HE) in the UK to think through the relationship between cultural consumption and production. In doing so the article maps out a productive possibility for a new research agenda, by sketching where and how research might link cultural consumption and production to better understand inequality.

Creative economies of tomorrow? Limits to growth and the uncertain future

“…We can cite here lowering, unequal and inequitable pay, the proliferation of short-term and unstable work and employment contracts, and the woeful (and in many cases worsening) statistics on workforce diversity and inclusion (e.g. see Banks, 2017;Creative Skillset, 2014;Oakley & O'Brien, 2016;Saha, 2018). In so far as it might be occurring, growth therefore tendsperhaps not surprisinglyto benefit capitalist firms, larger and more established organisations, and the already socially-advantaged.…”

“…There is little in Florida's formula that addresses how barriers to social mobility might be addressed to improve the life chances of those who might like to "move up" in order to occupy creative class professions, for example. Such shifts are unlikely to happen through enlightened benevolence on the part of the creative class, since we know that the idea of "tolerance", openness and inclusivity that Florida continues to associate with this group hastime and time againbeen shown to be bogus, at least when it comes to the sharing of educational and employment opportunities and other social goods (Banks, 2017;Oakley & O'Brien, 2016).…”

Social justice and out‐of‐school science learning: Exploring equity in science television, science clubs and maker spaces

“…Ahmed, ). For instance, television production is a notoriously difficult career pathway for people who are not White, male, or relatively wealthy (Dent, ; Oakley & O'Brien, ). Research on who makes television therefore calls into question the extent to which even weak professional infrastructure access is enacted, which suggests “insider” community acceptance of new, more diverse colleagues is limited.…”

Engaging the Imagination: ‘New Nature Writing’, Collective Politics and the Environmental Crisis

“…Of course this can be critical and subversive, but landscape and nature are often invoked in reactionary and repressive nationalisms, and obscure, or make ÔnaturalÕ, exploitation and social inequality. Given this, and as new nature writing operates in the highly unequal world of cultural production (Oakley and OÕBrien, 2016), to point to who is doing the writing, is a point doubly worth making. In the work of new nature writers the careful observation of nature is valorised: close attention, conveyed by 'fine writingÕ, is both a marker of personal sensitivity and attunement, and also a means to ecological consciousness-raising.…”