Cultural Studies, Critical Theory and Cultural Governance

Abstract

It can be argued that, in the light of the `cultural turn' in sociology, the search for new sources of critical theory, might profitably begin by considering the contributions of the interdisciplinary field of cultural studies, particularly the lessons to be learned from the Frankfurt School and then from British cultural studies in dealing with the problem of reconciling radical critical theory with the demands of cultural policy and administration. The contributions of these two traditions in cultural theory to debates about cultural governance are used to illustrate the dilemma.