Juan Wang

Governmentality and Public Sphere in Cultural Policy Studies: Understanding Theoretical Resources and Empirical Implications of Cultural Policy and Music Practise in a British City Juan Wang

The book regarding cultural policy points out a fundamental contradiction about the nature of democracy. The impulse that should motivate public cultural policies is primarily democratic: it is to give universal access to what are deemed unique cultural practices. However, these practices are often socially and culturally inaccessible. It seems, an effective cultural policy is crucial to offer universal access to unique cultural practices, like classical music. The current debate does not take into account the importance of tradition and the critical role of multiculturalism. The theory points to ways these features can be incorporated into future debates on cultural policy.