Culture and the Public Sphere

Culture and the Public Sphereargues that even in a postmodern world there is a place for value judgements in the arts and seeks to map out a new terrain for policy-oriented cultural studies in education, research and professional practice. Jim McGuigan challenges the commonly accepted instrumentalist agenda for "cultural policy studies" and proposes an alternative view of cultural policy as a matter for the widest possible critical and cultural debate. Illustrating his case with examples from recent cultural policy initiatives in Britain, the United States and Australia, McGuigan considers a range of topics which include: the American "culture wars"; urban regeneration strategies under conditions of de-industrialization and worsening social exclusion; and problems of "race", identity and cultural citizenship.