The greater sense of involvement - literary festivals and cultural entrepreneurship

Abstract

Innovative projects of a cultural nature provide value for those who organize and participate in them. However, for the politician in charge of the culture file, such projects gain value only when they deliver economic or social impact. Turning culture and art into an economic instrument is not a new idea in the politics of culture. The entrepreneur, the arts manager, and the administrator of cultural institutions become key figures when the cultural sector is professionalized and made into an economic engine. Starting from the thesis that economic values are helpful in advancing some social or economic purpose, I attempt to liberate the entrepreneur from the role and task of orchestrating economic logic. Using two literature festivals in Berlin and Copenhagen respectively, I seek to illustrate ”how entrepreneurs contribute to reconfiguring the practices of their society” (Spinosa, Flores & Dreyfus 1997).
Original languageEnglish
Publication date2014
Number of pages11
Publication statusPublished - 2014

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