Cultural Economy Research Articles

‘If you believe in a platform world…’ – Corporate banking and digital transformation in investor relations discourse

Recent economic and financial geographical literatures on Fintech have queried how financial incumbents’ operational and business models are changing with digital technologies. Providing financial services that enable firms to operate and internationalize, corporate banking is a key part of Advanced Producer Services (APS) where such transformations are underway. This paper contributes to geographical literatures on Fintech and APS change by developing a Cultural Economy approach to digital transformation in corporate banking at two large European banks - BNP Paribas and ING. Through a focus on discourse, processes and materialities, a Cultural Economy lens can help producing more nuanced geographies of digital transformation at incumbent banks.Building on Investor Relations materials where digital strategies are discursively articulated for investors, the paper explores two tropes marking these discourses: ‘customer experience’ and the ‘digital platform’. Exploring these in depth, the paper contributes two main insights. First, where the trope of customer experience entails a folding of banking into customers’ spatiotemporalities, banks’ discourse reveal key entanglements between this topological digital space and a shifting topographical space of branch networks, established and emerging financial and service centres and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Second, incumbent banks’ discourse on digital transformation manifest, and is shaped by key path dependencies which are economic, technological, and geographic. Notably, questions of legacy IT systems, as well as economic and organizational restructuring following the 2008 financial crisis mark the distinctive ways in which incumbent banks are disputing the discursive field of digital financial re-intermediation vis-à-vis technology and Fintech companies.

A Crowd of Shadows: Performances, Protests, Streets and Stages

Using performance and visual studies methodologies, this article responds to the interwoven and contextually specific happenings of the pandemic and histories of Black consciousness and antiblackness in Montreal’s theatres. In doing so, it creates parallels between past and present events as surrogates, ghostings, or performative encounters of Black experiences on theatrical stages in a white Quebecois landscape. It argues that the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests were a product of a longstanding local cultural economy of obfuscated antiblackness, an embodied, spatially ingrained, and reinforced set of historical paradigms that have been present in Quebecois life and more specifically on Montreal stages for centuries. The architecture of Montreal theatre, its actors, and spectres of recent events are theoretically framed as both racism and resistance, antiblackness and forms of Black consciousness, a view onto the past from the present, and a repository of performances, living archives, and embodied collective imaginaries.

The joint contribution of grassroots artistic practices to the alternative and vital city. The case of Bologna and Venice (Italy)

The article explores grassroots artistic practices as stances of vital urbanism, intended as the urban dynamics activated from below and from outside established institutions that make a city lively thanks to the heterogenous, adaptive, and ultimately transformative initiatives of its citizens, especially when aggregated in the form of organised associations. Specifically, it focuses on how and why grassroots cultural organisation contribute to the vitality of their city. The research analyses the grassroots cultural milieux of two Italian cities, Bologna and Venice. Despite the local specificities, a thematic analysis has developed themes coherent across the two cases. They are: (1) political conflict; (2) imagining the alternative city; (3) making the alternative city; and finally (4) a discourse about the cultural economy. Ultimately, the findings illustrate how their visions and motivations shape a collective imagery of an alternative city and that their ideals and actions aim not just to keeping the city alive, but to let it evolve and develop.

The Influence of Park Chung Hee’s Motion Picture Law on Korean Society

The term ‘Korean wave’ is broadly defined as the huge achievement of South Korean cultural economy industries around the world. It represented a big milestone when South Korea’s movie “Parasite” won the Oscar for Best Picture, which was the first movie from non-English speaking country to win such award in the history. While lots of Korean filmmakers have been trying to produce their own flims for more than 100 years, the cinema of South Korea officially started in 1945 and have been strongly influenced by events and political forces. This paper mainly studies the content and influence of the Motion Picture Law (MPL) issued during Park Chung Hee era in the 1960s and later strict censorship and propaganda in 1970s under Park’s government control. It is worth exploring why the Korean film industry can achieve such achievements, and what role the MPL played in it. The experience and lessons are worthy of reference. This paper briefly reviews the development history of Korean film from a historical perspective, introduces the legal content and the historical background, and then discusses and analyzes its influence on the positive and negative sides at that time. Looking back at the twists and turns of the Korean movie industry is also of great significance to the development of other countries.

First results of metallographic analysis and absolute dating of iron finds from Nowe Brzesko, site 26, Proszowice District

AbstractThis paper presents the results of analyses of metal artefacts discovered at a multiphase site in Nowe Brzesko, Małopolskie Voivodeship, Poland. Fieldwalking prospection led to the discovery of steely iron objects, ploughed out on the site among other numerous archeological finds. A prospecting sondage yielded more corroded metal artefacts, identified mainly as agricultural tools (e.g. sickles, scythes). These chronologically nondistinctive artefacts could be assigned to the third to fourth century AD using radiocarbon dating, complemented by metallurgical analysis. The results open up new research perspectives on the economy and society of the Przeworsk culture in the Late Roman period.

Tourists’ Motives for Visiting Historic Conservation Areas in the Post-Pandemic Era: A Case Study of Kuanzhai Alley in Chengdu, China

Much current discussion about the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and mental health focuses on urban green space and rarely on historic conservation areas (HCAs). With the pandemic’s lasting influence and advances in medical technology, people’s mental health needs and attitudes toward epidemic prevention changed, and the importance of HCAs has received great attention. This study aims to explore the positive impact of heritage tourism on mental recovery under the influence of the pandemic. The Kuanzhai Alley HCA was selected as the location for the field survey and in-depth interviews. A total of 48 respondents were recruited for the semi-structured interviews, and qualitative data were analyzed through MAXQDA 2020, and the motives and mental feedback of tourists visiting Kuanzhai Alley were summarized. The results showed that there is great landscape integrity and continuity in the area. During the pandemic, the inclusive cultural atmosphere, human-based spatial scale, and cultural activities in the form of intangible heritage, such as Sichuan opera and live-action role-playing (LARP), had significant effects on eliminating loneliness, relieving anxiety, and improving happiness. The study results are expected to provide reference and guidance for current and future management of heritage tourism, social well-being, and a sustainable cultural economy.

BUDAYA EKONOMI: PRAKTEK AKAD MUZARA’AH PERSPEKTIF ETIKA EKONOMI ISLAM DI DESA TANGSIL KULON KECAMATAN TENGGARANG KABUPATEN BONDOWOSO

This study aims to reveal the practice of muraza'ah contracts associated with an economic culture that is aligned with Islamic economic ethics in Tangsil Kulon Bondowoso Village. This study uses qualitative research with a descriptive analysis approach, and the data source is the people in Tangsil Kulon. The results of this study indicate that the practice of the muzara'ah contract in Tangsil Kulon Village uses the musyarakah principle with a split system adapted to the local community’s culture. The distribution in the form of percentages still has the disadvantaged party, namely the land owner, because the cultivator does not see whether the harvest is experiencing a profit or loss and thinks he is still working.

Transnational halal networks: INHART and the Islamic cultural economy in Malaysia and beyond

AbstractThe concern for piety among contemporary middle‐class Muslims has led to efforts to establish a halal (permissible according to Islamic principles) economy. This can be seen in the thriving Islamic cultural economy in Malaysia, which refers to the links between Islamic culture and economic practices. Malaysia tops the Global Islamic Economy indicator, which serves as the dominant framework for evaluating and measuring the global halal economy. This was achieved through various initiatives, such as establishing research centres, of which the International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART) is among the most prominent. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and digital ethnography, this article focuses on INHART initiatives for building transnational halal networks. This article aims to explore how halal interpretations and practices travel across borders. I argue that halal research centres, such as INHART, signify both the decentring and centring of power transnationally and economically in terms of the global flow of halal knowledge and practices.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Interrogating the traditional ethics and values of religious fundraising strategies of Ijo Orunmila Adulawo (Southwest Nigeria)

Retraction: Interrogating the traditional ethics and values of religious fundraising strategies of Ijo Orunmila Adulawo (Southwest Nigeria) We, the Editor and Publisher of Journal of Cultural Economy, have retracted the following article: Omotayo K. Charles, Interrogating the traditional ethics and values of religious fundraising strategies of Ijo Orunmila Adulawo (Southwest Nigeria), Journal of Cultural Economy, published online 18 Jan 2023, DOI: 10.1080/17530350.2022.2144411. The article published is not the edited, peer-reviewed and accepted version. This was due to a file processing error during the upload process. The Editor and Publisher apologise for the error. The correct version of this article is available here: 10.1080/17530350.2023.2224134. The correct final version of the article differs from this earlier version, which was published in error, in the following ways: 1. The title was changed from' Interrogating the traditional ethics and values of religious fundraising strategies of Ijo Orunmila Adulawo' (Southwest Nigeria) to ‘‘Orunmila needs a new house': religious fundraising and the revitalisation of Ijo Orunmila Adulawo in southwest Nigeria’. 2. The abstract has been entirely rewritten. 3. The introduction has been substantially rewritten. 4. The section ‘politics of value’ has been rewritten and developed. 5. The conclusion has been developed. 6. The correct author name is Charles Omotayo.

A Relational Model of Economic Organization: Relations Within, Between, and Among Economic Scales

We propose a relational theoretical model of economic organization that offers new insight into the organizing dynamics of economic systems. Neoclassical and complexity economics are, in their Western cultural origins, based on an assumption of the primacy of the discrete individual. Collectivist economic traditions are based on the principle of collective interest rather than self-interest. We attempt a rapprochement of individualist (especially free market) and collectivist (especially centrally planned) economic cultures and traditions by modelling economic organization as arising from individual and collective dynamics and the relationships between them. Structure, process, function, and content are four fundamental inter-related properties of our model of economic organization. We posit the existence of micro, meso, macro scales of economic organization in all of structure, process, function, and contents. To operationalize our relational model, the conventional bottom-up process of self-organization is reconceived to involve relationships within micro-, meso-, and macro-economic organization. In turn, the new concept of socio-cultural organization is construed to involve relationships between and among economic organization, across micro, meso, and macro scales. Our model of relations provides a structure for complex-realist exploration, making cross-scale inter-relationships explicit and by providing a structured language for description of these relationships.

Русская экономическая культура: исторические традиции и трансформации

The authors provide generalization and typification of the Russian economic culture historical characteristics, within their three “reevaluations” in the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries: capitalist, socialist and “returnable” capitalist. This work is carried out on the basis of an analysis of the traditional features of the cultural and historical development of Russia, their economic significance in the light of the basic concepts of the generic quality of economic culture: attitudes towards labor, private property, wealth and consumption, manifested in adequate phenomena. On this theoretical and methodological basis, the phenomena of traditional (feudal) economic culture are presented “in their pure form” and conceptually systematized, including their pre-Soviet, Soviet and post-Soviet transformations. Taking into account the essential inconsistency of the domestic economic culture at all stages of the historical existence of its qualitative, generic unity as the foundation of species transformations, the conclusion is drawn about the quality of the present transitional state of economic culture as mutational. The study suggests an interdisciplinary methodology of its modern “reformatting” — sorting and new “assembling” of phenomena of all historical types of this culture (preserving the necessary, stopping the “harmful” and forming the new ones) as a prospect of its modernization, adequate to the tasks of sustainable development of Russia in modern conditions.

Cultural or Economic Nation? The Concept of “Cultural Economy” in the Contemporary Germany‘s Political Discourse

The conceptualization and dissemination of the concept of “cultural economics” has significantly influenced the idea of culture in Germany. In recent decades, culture is increasingly represented as one of the most important factors of economic development, whereas cultural economy as one of the most significant economic sectors with a large number of employees and impressive revenues. Based on the methodology of historical semantics and historical sociology, the article provides a multifaceted study of the concept of “cultural economics”. The concept has become an indicator and driver of the revision of cultural policy in Germany in recent decades, which has led to significant changes in both institutional design and discourse about culture. The introduction of this concept into the election campaign texts of the largest political parties in Germany entailed a modification of the political discourse about culture. This has led to the fact that sections of election programs dedicated to culture increasingly contain financial, economic and industrial vocabulary. Such changes in the political discourse about culture have led to a new contextualization, resemantization and a change in the relationship between the basic concepts of “cultural nation” and “economic nation” in relation to contemporary Germany.

Components and criteria of economic culture of future teachers

This article provides an integrated description of the teachings of Eastern and Western pedagogical psychologists on economics and economic culture, economic culture, a comprehensive approach to this process in relation to philosophical, legal, economic, sociological, psychological and pedagogical aspects. information is required. The components of economic culture are defined as economic education, economic education, economic activity, and the criteria for the development of economic culture: cognitive, motivational, creative-activity, and on the basis of these criteria are identified indicators corresponding to three (high, medium and low) levels. It has been proven that the formation of financial literacy of future educators is a social necessity.

Craftsmanship as a development potential of the region – a case study of craftsmen from Opole Silesia (Poland)

Purpose: The aim of the article is to present craftsmanship as a development potential of the region, including a regional tourist product that influences the attractiveness of the Opole Voivodeship. Design/methodology/approach: A case study of craftsmen from Opole Silesia specializing in the production of handicrafts was presented, with whom in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted in April 2023. Findings: The research results present craftsmanship as a regional product that can make a significant contribution to the cultural heritage of the region and constitute a significant development potential that is not yet fully utilized. Originality/value: The article attempts to demonstrate the significance of craftsmanship in the Opole Voivodeship in terms of its impact on regional development. Keywords: crafts, Opole Silesia, regional development, development potential, economic culture, cultural economy. Category of the paper: Research paper.

Formation of economic culture among cadets of a maritime university in the context of digitalization of education

One of the significant problems in the professional training of future maritime transport specialists is the formation of an economic culture among modern cadets, which is necessary both for everyday life and for the quality performance of future official duties. The future professional activity of maritime transport specialists is associated with the constant performance of long-term voyages to various countries for the transportation, delivery, unloading and loading of various cargoes. During their stay in the ports of foreign countries, the command staff of transport ships interacts with representatives of these countries: customs officers, employees of port administrations, employees of various companies, cargo owners. Such interaction requires the master and his assistants to have a solid economic knowledge, economic thinking and economic culture.

Węglopolis – metropolitalne związki miast i „pod-powierzchni”

Coalpolis – Metropolitan Relation of Cities and “Under-Grounds” The article proposes the use of a new concept of coal city, which allows describing regions of hard coal mining and post-mining regions by taking into account both their geology as well as their mining and economic culture. Węglopolis (Coal City) is a perspective on literature and art, particularly useful in attempts to assess the past of coal regions and design their future. The author shows the correlation of coalpolises both with the available naming tradition (Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolia, polis, megalopolis), as well as with research on the Carbocene, a specified variant of the Anthropocene, in which the role of hard coal in creating and destroying societies, the natural environment and culture is taken into account.

The Unanticipated Pleasures of the Future : Degrowth, Post -growth and Popular Cultural Economies

A renewed theory of 'degrowth' has recently emerged from different streams of political economy, ecological economics and environmental activism. Yet contemporary degrowth (and post-growth) has yet to develop any credible or inclusive theory of cultural production, art or aesthetics. A key challenge, as I see it, is to generate a progressive degrowth project that can not only more equitably share and sustain scarce resources, but also retain some sense of organised cultural production as a source of different aesthetic, symbolic and communicative needs and desires. This, I would argue, must include tastes and preferences that are rooted in shared and globally extensive forms of popular culture. The aim here, therefore, is to conceive of a degrowth perspective that might begin to imagine forms of genuinely sustainable and organised cultural economy that strive to accommodate and expand (rather than deny or frustrate) the widest array of human needs and desires in any ecologically-challenged future.

Study on Symbolic Consumption in Guangzhou’s Nighttime Economy

As e-commerce has revolutionized the habits and methods of mass consumption, the reliance of the real economy on the Internet for advertising and marketing has become more and more pronounced, and this phenomenon has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many municipal governments in China have introduced policies to encourage the development of nighttime economy as an important means to revive urban vitality, stimulate mass consumption and promote economic development. This essay takes four established nighttime economy gathering places in Guangzhou as examples, and studies the symbolic consumption process in them from the theoretical perspectives of cultural economy, leisure economy, symbolic economy and cultural capital, thus pointing out the problems of cultural change and cultural vulgarization in the nighttime economy neighborhoods and giving constructive solutions and suggestions for improvement.

Системная парадигма и разработка альтернативных стратегий построения институциональных экономических теорий

This article addresses the key aspects of constructing contemporary theories in institutional economics. The goal is to uncover the paradigmatic framework guiding different strategies in institutional theo­ries and their potential for change. Using interdisciplinary constructivist methods from social sciences, the study highlights the intersubjective nature of economics and contrasts the principles that serve as the foundation for the development of institutional economic theories. The study’s historical review shows that shared research strategies have emerged from a paradigm rooted in the marginalist revolution. In this approach, collective phenomena explain the behavior of agents pursuing utilitarian motives. The unorthodox strategy involves constructing macro-, micro-, and historical-economic theories based on the distinction of two main levels of research: value-normative and institutional-instrumental. Meanwhile, the mainstream strategy concentrates only on institutions and tools. Relying on the established paradigm results in the creation of structuralist and eclectic theories that lead to a fragmented view of the economy. The paper advocates a transition to a poststructura­list paradigm via constructivist logic. This shift entails examining the relationship between agents and institutions from the perspective of economic culture, values, and ideas, rather than psychology. This approach enables a multi-level assessment of the economy as a system of institutions forged through value compromise. It also allows us to show internal changes, considering the impact of path determinacy linked to new values and ideas (ideational path determinacy).

The Barriers of Co-Creative Service Development Models in the Context of Disadvantaged Rural Areas in Hungary

The paper is based on the observation of the process of reviving the forgotten culture of household economy, horticulture and livestock farming in disadvantaged rural areas and, through this, to develop a new service model for rural communities to strengthen the role of grassroots initiatives and enhancing the mechanisms of the co-operative model of local economy and democracy. Our research has shown that bottom-up models have several barriers to local governments in rural areas. The change in the political and governmental model of the last ten years has resulted in the restraint of local government autonomy and the vacancy of the role of local governments as public service providers. In this system, we can observe the strengthening of administrative dependence, the devaluation of the local elected political leadership (mayors) and the emergence of new rules of local power. In small settlements with less than 2,000 inhabitants, central state and political dependence intensified. Attempts to strengthen local communities have proved to be a major challenge in a highly centralised model of government. The present study gathers the factors that hinder the success of co-creative approaches in the local context and shows how the public service innovations organised by local governments are determined by the political and economic culture prevailing at the national level.