Justin O'Connor | Reclaiming Culture as a Social Foundation
In today’s episode Gerry and Carmel are joined byProfessor Justin O’Connor from Adelaide University. A leading expert in cultural policy, Justin discusses the evolution of culture’s role in society, its commodification, and the importance of re-establishing culture as a foundational social good, crucial to democratic participation and to counteract rising far-right ideologies and societal polarisation.
While culture is often broadly defined as the sum of our shared meanings and interactions - echoing anthropologist Edward Tylor’s notion that “culture is everything that is not nature” - Justin O’Connor focuses on a more specific understanding of “art and culture”. Through images and sounds, movements and rhythms, and poetic language, culture speaks to our place in the world. It enables collective meaning-making and communication through distinctive forms of symbolic knowledge that lie beyond purely rational discourse, offering an indispensable, if sometimes opaque, contribution to our shared social life.
Justin calls for a radical repositioning of culture as a foundational element of society and a core domain of public policy, alongside health, education, social services, and basic infrastructure. Challenging reductionist views that frame culture as merely a market-driven consumer sector (the ‘cultural and creative industries industries’), a luxury, or a component of the ideological superstructure, he instead presents culture as essential to social reproduction, liveability, and citizenship. By prioritising community engagement and sustained advocacy for robust cultural policies, we can ensure that culture continues to thrive alongside economic development.
Resources to explore
Justin O'Connor's Book: Culture is Not an Industry [https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fjustin-oconnor.com%2Fcurrent-publications%2Fculture-is-not-an-industry%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cn.lalchandani%40deakin.edu.au%7C490b483cba77449bbe8108de9c582c9c%7Cd02378ec168846d585401c28b5f470f6%7C0%7C0%7C639120099706304419%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=2VaR5wujLHOSpTbeWxAlBDPr7hOyJMt91pqQ%2FEhBUI4%3D&reserved=0]
Open access papers by Justin and colleagues on Culture as Foundational here [https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffoundationaleconomy.com%2Fculture-as-foundational-paper-final%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cn.lalchandani%40deakin.edu.au%7C490b483cba77449bbe8108de9c582c9c%7Cd02378ec168846d585401c28b5f470f6%7C0%7C0%7C639120099706343199%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=P42TJt10gKFGCJwdRT78NaS73h1UhSLyVAqpkzKdw0E%3D&reserved=0] and here. [https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fjournals.sagepub.com%2Fdoi%2F10.1177%2F13675494261432911&data=05%7C02%7Cn.lalchandani%40deakin.edu.au%7C490b483cba77449bbe8108de9c582c9c%7Cd02378ec168846d585401c28b5f470f6%7C0%7C0%7C639120099706368813%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=AldCwxjxaixFoYepBmJTJWoTypOBxvjZYyVKIlwu%2BxY%3D&reserved=0]
Open Access paper on Basic [https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonline.com%2Fdoi%2Ffull%2F10.1080%2F09548963.2026.2655376%23d1e634&data=05%7C02%7Cn.lalchandani%40deakin.edu.au%7C490b483cba77449bbe8108de9c582c9c%7Cd02378ec168846d585401c28b5f470f6%7C0%7C0%7C639120099706823285%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=BWKF9Sh7p6mR3WqSA04uEG%2BNKJHYE5Ow76pziSICs4M%3D&reserved=0]Income for Artists [https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonline.com%2Fdoi%2Ffull%2F10.1080%2F09548963.2026.2655376%23d1e634&data=05%7C02%7Cn.lalchandani%40deakin.edu.au%7C490b483cba77449bbe8108de9c582c9c%7Cd02378ec168846d585401c28b5f470f6%7C0%7C0%7C639120099706854068%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Xcuoa6%2FsDBsEnCNlPBhbQyQE3FwLQJ08ERXx63U%2FYVY%3D&reserved=0]
Community Wealth Building Initiatives [https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.oecd.org%2Fen%2Fpublications%2Fproviding-local-actors-with-case-studies-evidence-and-solutions-places_eb108047-en%2Fcommunity-wealth-building-for-a-well-being-economy_afdeefcd-en.html&data=05%7C02%7Cn.lalchandani%40deakin.edu.au%7C490b483cba77449bbe8108de9c582c9c%7Cd02378ec168846d585401c28b5f470f6%7C0%7C0%7C639120099706875355%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=6dX3dCUvybAgiRPARRGAiqWOQHgl5qNsECMDMHcMOnA%3D&reserved=0]
UNESCO Cultural Policy Resources [https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.unesco.org%2Fen%2Ftags%2Fcultural-policy&data=05%7C02%7Cn.lalchandani%40deakin.edu.au%7C490b483cba77449bbe8108de9c582c9c%7Cd02378ec168846d585401c28b5f470f6%7C0%7C0%7C639120099706896327%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=JA31qSwodY0jz4iKgLHl2BmCrqRjQ9N3m9Ld19OgSrE%3D&reserved=0]
Creative Nation (Australia) Policy [https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arts.gov.au%2Fpublications%2Fcreative-australia-national-cultural-policy-2013&data=05%7C02%7Cn.lalchandani%40deakin.edu.au%7C490b483cba77449bbe8108de9c582c9c%7Cd02378ec168846d585401c28b5f470f6%7C0%7C0%7C639120099706916544%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=XZS4EqzOwfUXrki8LY9N12%2FlcOWgeJHCY72THaaOwZM%3D&reserved=0]
This podcast is supported by University of Glasgow [https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gla.ac.uk%2Fschools%2Fsocialpolitical%2Fstaff%2Fgerardmccartney%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cn.lalchandani%40deakin.edu.au%7C490b483cba77449bbe8108de9c582c9c%7Cd02378ec168846d585401c28b5f470f6%7C0%7C0%7C639120099707095755%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=rDhTNFSPh4jCe8a2LdplKib1CDTTwLKZXhIHaPbJkrg%3D&reserved=0] theCentre for Health in All Policies Research Translation (CHiAPRT) [https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchiaprt.org.au%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cn.lalchandani%40deakin.edu.au%7C490b483cba77449bbe8108de9c582c9c%7Cd02378ec168846d585401c28b5f470f6%7C0%7C0%7C639120099707120490%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=DvcoQ%2Fhzal29rdYbcnrcBxUpvcKeiWuove0EOJXLomo%3D&reserved=0], and Adelaide University [https://adelaide.edu.au/].Feel free to follow us and share our podcast online and withanyone you think will enjoy it. Thank you for tuning in!
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