Cultural Identity Politics in the (Post-)Transitional Societies
Cultural Identity Politics in the (Post-)Transitional Societies
Cultural Identity Politics in the (Post-)Transitional Societies
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<strong>Cultural</strong> <strong>Identity</strong> <strong>Politics</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> (<strong>Post</strong>-)<strong>Transitional</strong> <strong>Societies</strong><br />
economic arrangements for cultural workers or <strong>in</strong>telligentsia <strong>in</strong> general and <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
fields of production will show that <strong>the</strong>y have an impact on “cultural identities”, for<br />
which this social stratum is <strong>the</strong> most responsible. F<strong>in</strong>ally, this exam<strong>in</strong>ation may help<br />
us to understand what we experience every day – why <strong>the</strong> prevail<strong>in</strong>g ideology today<br />
is “competitiveness” and why <strong>the</strong> arts and sciences oppose it with a relatively modest<br />
critique on globalization.<br />
The socio-economic position of <strong>the</strong> artist <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> sociology of culture<br />
In <strong>the</strong> tradition of sociology of culture our contribution complies with research <strong>in</strong>to<br />
socio-economic relationships <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> arts. Accord<strong>in</strong>g to research by Pierre Bourdieu or<br />
Natalie He<strong>in</strong>ich, we will <strong>in</strong>vestigate <strong>the</strong> argument about <strong>the</strong> economic <strong>in</strong>dependence of<br />
artists from private and public donors due to <strong>the</strong> expansion of cultural <strong>in</strong>dustries and<br />
copyright regulations. These two economic conditions, accord<strong>in</strong>g to Natalie He<strong>in</strong>ich,<br />
made room for a unique artist and public figure such as Émile Zola <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 19th century,<br />
though this was ra<strong>the</strong>r exceptional among <strong>the</strong> numerous loft-liv<strong>in</strong>g artists, les bohèmes<br />
(He<strong>in</strong>ich, 2005). The “aes<strong>the</strong>tic welfare state” after <strong>the</strong> Second World War endorsed,<br />
as Pierre Bourdieu would put it, <strong>the</strong> “autonomous pr<strong>in</strong>ciple of hierarchization” <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
arts <strong>in</strong> competition with <strong>the</strong> economic pr<strong>in</strong>ciple of hierarchization (Bourdieu, 1993).<br />
In later times <strong>the</strong> aes<strong>the</strong>tic welfare state was brought to its end and culture was driven<br />
<strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> heart of <strong>the</strong> economy for a new cycle of capitalist expansion. Alongside this<br />
process <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>tegration of artists <strong>in</strong>to art production has changed. In <strong>the</strong> exam<strong>in</strong>ation<br />
of this question we will focus on book publish<strong>in</strong>g s<strong>in</strong>ce it offers <strong>the</strong> simplest example<br />
among various art practices. It will, hopefully, also help to clarify <strong>the</strong> puzzl<strong>in</strong>g debate on<br />
contemporary “cognitive capitalism”.<br />
Means of production <strong>in</strong> book publish<strong>in</strong>g<br />
If we exam<strong>in</strong>e <strong>the</strong> whole labour process (book production) from <strong>the</strong> po<strong>in</strong>t of view<br />
of its results (books), we see that two k<strong>in</strong>ds of means of production were used: (1) <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>in</strong>struments and (2) <strong>the</strong> subject of labour as well as (3) labour as productive labour.<br />
We will pass from <strong>the</strong> easiest to <strong>the</strong> more difficult po<strong>in</strong>ts, so we will start with <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>in</strong>struments.<br />
(1) Instruments<br />
When we speak about <strong>in</strong>struments <strong>in</strong> book production, we mean computers for<br />
authors, editors or designers, pr<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>es, means of transport and so on. Our<br />
first observation would be that less and less human labour is needed to produce a book<br />
and <strong>the</strong> modes of its distribution are faster. The <strong>in</strong>struments are <strong>the</strong> materialization of<br />
past labour which have been needed for its creation and manufactur<strong>in</strong>g. At <strong>the</strong> same<br />
time <strong>in</strong>struments are also <strong>the</strong> result of multiform <strong>in</strong>novative contributions from all<br />
humank<strong>in</strong>d, <strong>the</strong> fruits of general scientific development. Past labour is, for this reason,<br />
also called “dead labour” or “general <strong>in</strong>tellect” and, as such, a jo<strong>in</strong>t property of humank<strong>in</strong>d,<br />
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