Citizenship and Cultural Policy

9780761962939

076196293X

With the growth of interest in the debates about what culture is, and who 'owns' it, questions of cultural policy have moved to the forefront of wider dicussions of citizenship. This book unpicks the significance of culture for citizenship. Among the topics explored are the strengths and weaknesses of the 'civilizing mission' of museums; the moralism of 'Third Way' politics; the proper base for funding culture and the arts; the impact of globalization on culture and citizenship; the fantasies of freedom in Internet use; the tensions between human rights advocacy and citizenship; and the place of citizen ideals in governance. What emerges is a superb resource for analyzing the meaning of cultural policy in contemporary society. It both summarizes the state of the field and innovates new ways of thinking about culture and citizenship.