O’Connor - The cultural and creative industries
O’Connor, J. (2010). The cultural and creative industries: A literature review, (2nd ed.). Newcastle upon Tyne: Creativity, Culture and Education.
This review takes a sixty year trip from ‘The Culture Industry’, through the ‘cultural industries’, ending at the ‘creative industries’. Its main theme is the tension between culture and economics which lies at the heart of this terminology. The review explores the history of the idea of the cultural industries and how this has changed and developed into our current interest in the creative economy. It focuses on the conceptual ideas behind thinking in this area and lays out the reasons behind the shifts in terminology and policy. It delineates the sector’s roots in artistic practice and reflects on New Labour descriptions and uses of the creative industries. In this second edition, Justin O’Connor has taken the opportunity to write a new conclusion, reflecting on how changes in web 2.0 and mobile communication technologies have affected the debates around the creative industries and our understanding of art, culture and economy.
This report offers a serious and sophisticated review of the concept of the cultural and creative industries and should be of use to all those with ambitions to act in this arena.
Justin O’Connor “The Cultural and Creative Industries: A Literature Review”