[toeslist] The Value of Culture
Susan Hunt
___________________________________________________
For the fifth year running, The
Amsterdam-Maastricht Summer University is proud to present
The Value of Culture, 6 - 15 August 2001
Once again the course is led by Jack Amariglio (US), Arjo Klamer (NL),
Deirdre McCloskey (US), Judith Mehta (UK), and Bregje van Eekelen (NL).
Exploring the boundaries and intersections of rhetoric, anthropology, art
and literature, the five economists and social theorists bring their unique
insights into the interaction between economy and culture.
Debates, dialogues, workshops, and presentations take place in the Felix
Meritis, Amsterdam, in an intensive atmosphere of investigation and
discovery.
Programme details are included here for your interest and information.
Should you require any further assistance please feel free to contact the
Amsterdam-Maastricht Summer University as indicated. Application forms,
accommodation information, and the complete curriculum of this year's
Summer University can be found on the website: www.amsu.edu
If this information may be relevant to friends and/or colleagues please do
not hesitate to pass it on.
With best regards,
Rachel Feuchtwang
****************************************
The Value of Culture
6 - 15 August 2001, Amsterdam
Faculty of History & Arts Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Amsterdam-Maastricht Summer University
INTRODUCTION
The relationship between economics and culture is an uneasy one. The
relationship between those trained in the discipline of economics and those
trained in cultural fields is similarly uneasy.
The majority of economists would categorically reject the idea that culture
is of much relevance to their discipline, while many cultural theorists and
practitioners often see economic analyses and considerations of their
objects of study/practice as, at best, an alien imposition. These schisms
notwithstanding, culture - both narrowly and broadly defined - undeniably
has an economic dimension, while economic behaviour and discourse is
enmeshed in culture.
In this fifth course on "The Value of Culture" we aim to explore the
interactions between culture and economics, bringing along insights gained
from the previous four years. The central themes will be the twin concepts
of "value/s" and "culture." The course involves not only inquiry into the
intersection of economic with aesthetic and cultural value(s), but also
into the value of cultural activity in general.
We will accomplish this task primarily by focusing on the way economic
theorising (particularly about art and culture) might be transformed by,
but can also influence art theory and practice, anthropology, cultural
studies, philosophy, the "new rhetoric," and the postmodern critique of
orthodox economic thinking. The lecturers often employ several different
philosophical and political positions, such as Smithian/libertarian,
postmodern marxist, and neo-traditionalist approaches within economics and
the social sciences. The consequences of these, as well as of the
students' own backgrounds, will be brought out in discussions, debates,
workshops, and independent assignments. The cultural richness of Amsterdam
will serve as the context to discussions.
APPLICANT PROFILE
The course is recommended to anyone working in the fields of economics,
cultural studies, sociology, anthropology, the arts, philosophy, and
related fields. Some background in economic ideas is recommended.
LOCATION & TIMES
Felix Meritis, Keizersgracht 324, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Morning sessions from 9.30 - 13.00, afternoon sessions from 14.00 - 16.30.
LANGUAGE: English
FEE: 2000 nlg (Euro 907.56) includes daily lunches and refreshments and
admission to the evening cultural programme of the Amsterdam-Maastricht
Summer University.
A limited number of waivers are available to those working in academic
institutions at 1600 nlg (Euro 726.05). Advanced students with proven
interest in the subject and in need of financial assistance may apply
directly to the course co-ordinator for further information. Some
scholarship places are available, see below for application procedure.
APPLICATION & REGISTRATION
Please return the completed application form with a recent curriculum vitae
(and accommodation form as appropriate) no later than 6 July 2001, to The
Amsterdam-Maastricht Summer University, PO Box 53066, 1007 RB Amsterdam,
The Netherlands, or by fax: +31 20 6249368. Emailed applications will not
be accepted as a signature is required.
There is a selection procedure for reduced rate candidates, including
academic waivers and scholarships. Those who wish to apply should return
their completed application (and accommodation) forms, with a letter of
motivation and a letter of recommendation from a professional colleague.
Please note that applications should be written in English, and should be
submitted to the Amsterdam-Maastricht Summer University as early as
possible.
Participants are required to register on Sunday 5 August from 16.00 - 17.00
at Felix Meritis, Keizersgracht 324, Amsterdam. This will be followed by an
informal drinks reception for all participants and lecturers.
For more information please contact The Amsterdam-Maastricht Summer University:
T +31 20 6200225
F +31 20 6249368
E off...@amsu.edu
PROGRAMME
MONDAY, AUGUST 6: Economics, Value, Art, and Culture
We begin by introducing ourselves, to discover the resources of the group,
together with the concerns and interests that each of us bring to the
course. This will enable us to turn to an initial scrutiny of the key
concepts of the course: economics, value, art, and culture.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 7: Economic and Aesthetic Value; Alternative Approaches
The concepts of economic and aesthetic value and culture have a variety of
uses and meanings. They are contested concepts, at the very least. The
lecturers use insights from rhetoric, hermeneutics, and postmodernism in
their own alternative approaches to value and culture. The resulting stances
- ranging from Smithian/libertarianism to neotraditionalism to postmodern
marxism - lead to distinct questions and notions of the intersection of
economics, culture, and the arts. The implications of these different
concepts and stances will be presented and investigated.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8: Attention, Persuasion, and Conversation Is economics
(all science) persuasion? Do markets obey rules of conversation? Are
economic agents selective in their attention? Drawing from insights in
rhetoric, psychology and communications studies, we will look at the
importance of attention, persuasion, and conversation in the economy in
general, and the cultural industries in particular.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 9: The Culture of Difference/The Difference of Culture
How are different "subjects" and "identities" created and represented in
modern cultures? How are individual and group differences valued or
devalued in the economy and culture? Do markets homogenise or disperse and
fragment identities? In this session, we will explore how economic and
cultural subjectivities are created, represented, and undone in modern
societies. We will also discuss how differences produce borders (and vice
versa), and how borders are constantly crossed (as in this course).
FRIDAY, AUGUST 10: (Whose?) Values and (What?) Virtues in Economics and Art
What types of values and virtues (could) inform contemporary economies and
the production and consumption of art? Do market arrangements guarantee the
"best art?" Are bourgeois virtues inherent in a flourishing artworld? Does
the price of art reflect a perversion or a true picture of aesthetic
judgements? We will explore whether an economy of "virtue" matters for the
practice of art.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 11
- Excursion and Dinner
SUNDAY, AUGUST 12
- Free
MONDAY, AUGUST 13: Museums and the Commodification of Culture
Museums are often at the crossroads of modern economics and culture. Yet in
recent years, the museum has been seen as a fossilised throwback to
antiquated nationalism and elite class taste. How does the museum - or any
cultural institution - position today's "consumers" of art and culture?
What are the implications of the so-called increasing "Commodification of
culture"? Are there alternative - non-commodified - ways of organising
cultural and aesthetic experience?
TUESDAY, AUGUST 14: Market, State, Gift? How Should Art and Culture be
Supported?
In the art world, agents engage in both gift-giving and monetary exchange.
Some art is supported directly by state subvention. Do the modes of
financing matter? What exactly is meant by the gift? How does it avoid - if
at all - the polarised positions of market versus state? Exchanging our
insights and concerns with a visual artist/economist, we will investigate
how these concepts figure in the world of the arts.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15: The Value of Culture: A Conclusion and Another Beginning
The last session picks up where we began. How do the concepts and ideas
developed in the course connect with our concerns? What have we learned
about the relationship between between value(s) and culture? Do our ideas
have practical implications for the conduct of policy in the arts and/or
for research and teaching in economics?
RECOMMENDED READINGS
- Deirdre McCloskey. The Rhetoric of Economics (University of Wisconsin
Press, 1996)
- Arjo Klamer (ed.). The Value of Culture (Amsterdam University Press /
University of Michigan Press, 1996)
- Martha Woodmansee & Mark Osteen (eds.). The New Economic Criticism.
Studies at the Intersection of Literature and Economics (Routledge, 1999)
- Stephen Cullenberg, Jack Amariglio, and David Ruccio (eds.).
Postmodernism, Economics, and Knowledge (Routledge, 2001)
PROFILES OF THE LECTURERS
JACK AMARIGLIO is Professor of Economics at Merrimack College, USA. He was
one of the founders of the journal Rethinking Marxism and was its first
editor. He has written extensively on post-modernism in economics, Foucault
and economics, and the neglect of the body in standard economic theory. He
is currently working on a book with David Ruccio on postmodernism and
economics.
ARJO KLAMER is Professor of Economics of Art and Culture at the Erasmus
University Rotterdam. He has contributed to the rhetorical perspective on
economics with his book Conversations with Economists. He is currently
working on The Art of Persuasion: Essays in Cultural Economics.
DEIRDRE MCCLOSKEY is currently Professor of the Human Sciences at the
University of Illinois at Chicago, and Visiting Professor at the Erasmus
University Rotterdam. She has become well-known for her work in economic
history and caused a stir in the world of economics by claiming that
economics is rhetorical. Her most recent publication is Crossing: A Memoir
(University of Chicago Press, 1999).
JUDITH MEHTA is Lecturer in Economics at the Open University, and Visiting
Fellow in the School of Economic & Social Studies at the University of East
Anglia. Her research interests include the implications of recent French
philosophy for the conduct of economic analysis, applications of game
theory and decision-making, and the role of culture in industrial
organisation.
BREGJE VAN EEKELEN studied economics and anthropology at Utrecht University.
She is currently pursuing her Ph. D. at the University of California, Santa
Cruz. Her research interests include theories of space, place, and culture.
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