nep-cul New Economics Papers
on Cultural Economics
Issue of 2006‒08‒05
three papers chosen by
Roberto Zanola
Universita degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale

  1. Unity in Diversity Through Art? Joseph Beuys’ Models of Cultural Dialogue By Christa-Maria Lerm Hayes
  2. Quality Investment and Price Formation in the Performing Arts Sector: A Spatial Analysis By Traub, Stefan
  3. Cultural Diversity Determining the Memory of a Controversial Social Event By Elena Paspalanova

  1. By: Christa-Maria Lerm Hayes (University of Ulster)
    Abstract: This essay proposes the artist Joseph Beuys and his work as paradigmatic for art that through its own diversity of approach can show possibilities for addressing diverse audiences, diverging receptions and modes of participation. It arises from a symposium on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the artist’s death held at the Goethe Institut Dublin, 23 January 2006. The argument focuses on Beuys practice from his Ulysses-Extension to the Migration Workshop at documenta 6, 1977, the FIU, as well as his work (and legacy) in Ireland. Relevant theories include Ecos openness and Adorno’s negative and positive representation, since Beuys works relationship to the Holocaust and trauma turns out to be central. Beuys is offered as predecessor of current discourse such as Bourriaud’s Relational Aesthetics and Documenta11. The article concludes with a new theoretization of participation in culture, Irit Rogoff’s Looking Away. It is supported by Beuys multi-layered, diversity-sustaining practice.
    Keywords: Cultural Dialogue, Joseph Beuys, Diversity, Reception, Participation, Migration, documenta, FIU, Ireland, Openness, Holocaust, Trauma, Relational Aesthetics
    JEL: Z13 Z19
    Date: 2006–04
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fem:femwpa:2006.60&r=cul
  2. By: Traub, Stefan
    Abstract: In this paper, we present a spatial model of the public provision of the performing arts. Agents behave boundedly rational. Art directors set performance quality according to their aspiration levels. While taking into account the spatial distribution of the population, administrative directors in calculating ticket prices ignore that they compete with neighboring performing arts organization (PAOs) for audience. The model is tested empirically using a spatial autoregressive (SAR) model with a complete data set of German PAOs and cities. Our data support the model and help to explain the size and distribution of losses in the public performing arts sector.
    Keywords: Performing Arts, Local Public Goods, Quality, Spatial Competition, Bounded Rationality
    JEL: H41 R59 Z10
    Date: 2005
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:cauewp:3830&r=cul
  3. By: Elena Paspalanova (New Bulgarian University)
    Abstract: A social event from the near past socio-political policy in Bulgaria – “State policy of changing the names of Turkish population living in Bulgaria” as a major element of the state revival process aiming at exterminating the ethnic differences in Bulgaria – was chosen to study the influence of cultural diversity on memories of that event. The study aims at revealing the hypothesized complex structure of indicators of cultural diversity, which determines memory of the social event. In respect to the controversial event being an object of the memory, the following indices of cultural diversity are chosen: Ethnicity (Bulgarians vs Turks), Religion (Christian Orthodox vs Muslim), Maternal language (Bulgarian vs Turkish), National identity (Bulgarian / Turkish vs European). The research focuses on the “cultural” characteristics of the self as an “experiencer” / “rememberer” as well, namely social orientation (individualistic vs collectivistic). A final set of control variables is the panel of socio-demographic characteristics (gender, age, educational level, and monthly income) included in order to clarify the expected multifaceted picture of the cultural diversity influencing the memory of a social event.
    Keywords: Controversial Event, Memory, Individualism, Collectivism, Cultural Diversity Indices
    Date: 2006–04
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fem:femwpa:2006.48&r=cul

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