Book Chapters

Cultural Intermediaries Revisited: Lessons from Cape Town, Lagos and Nairobi

Roberta Comunian, Lauren England and Brian J. Hracs (Published August 2021: 2022) (Link)

Culture, Creativity and Economy: Collaborative practices, value creation and spaces of creativity. Eds B. J. Hracs, T. Brydges, T. Haisch, A. Hauge, J. Jansson and J. Sjöholm. Routledge

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Abstract

Global competition, digital technologies and shifting policy agendas are reshaping creative industries, markets and practices. This chapter focuses on cultural intermediaries in Africa and how their roles, positions and motivations are also changing. Findings from online surveys conducted in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa in 2019 demonstrate that while many intermediaries continue to ‘connect producers and consumers’ and perform ‘taste-making’ roles, others provide supports and services which enable and sustain creativity including space, finance, training and business advice. Ultimately, the chapter highlights the need to revisit the concept of cultural intermediaries and for further research which considers sector specificity and local contexts.

Financing cultural and creative industries in Kenya: challenges, opportunities and the case of HEVA

Wakiuru Njuguna, Roberta Comunian, Brian J. Hracs and Denderah Rickmers (Published August 2021: 2022) (Link)

Spaces and Working Practices for Creative Economies in Africa. Eds B. J. Hracs, R. Comunian and L. England. Routledge

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Abstract

The availalbity of financial capital and the types of financial intruments offered play an integral role in supporting the development of the cultural and creative industries in any market. As the creative and business worlds continue to merge, new forms of finance, from loan-based to social finance, are increasingly being explored. In the global south and markets like Kenya, where there is a dearth of public funding for the sector, innovative financial intermediaries employ financial, human, and intelecutal captital to provide tailored financial tools and capacity building measures that leverage the full socio-cultural and economic potential of the creative sector. 

Ahead of Policy? Creative Hubs in East African cities

Ayeta Anne Wangusa, Roberta Comunian and Brian J.Hracs (Published August 2021: 2022) (Link)

Spaces and Working Practices for Creative Economies in Africa. Eds B. J. Hracs, R. Comunian and L. England. Routledge

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Abstract

There is a wider range of literature and research on coworking spaces in the Global North (Waters-Lynch et al., 2016) and booming cities within East Asia (Luo and Chan, 2020), yet, there is very little acknowledgement of the way the phenomena has spread across the Global South(Tintiangko and Soriano, 2020; Shiach et al., 2017) and Africa in particular. This chapter addresses this gap by studying the emergence of hubs and coworking spaces in East Africa.

Fashion Designers and education in Nairobi: challenges and opportunities

Lauren England, Ogake Mosomi, Roberta Comunian, Brian J. Hracs (2021) (Link)

Higher Education and Policy for Creative Economies in Africa. Eds R. Comunian, B. J. Hracs and L. England. Routledge (44-59)

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Abstract

This chapter investigates the opportunities that higher education can offer in developing a more robust fashion design sector in Nairobi and Kenya more broadly. We argue that most researchers in this area focus on the importance of (mass) production for Kenyan textile and apparel development, without considering the importance of original content creation and fashion design, where education can also play an important role. The chapter builds on fieldwork and data collection undertaken in Nairobi, Kenya during September 2019. It uses both quantitative and qualitative data to investigate what courses and education level fashion designers working in Nairobi attended, and how education and career opportunities might attract them to the capital city.

Knowledge Communities

Brian J. Hracs and Steven Pinch (2020)

International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, 2nd edition. Ed A. Kobayashi. Vol. 8, Elsevier (17-22).

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Abstract

A knowledge community is a group of people, typically a professional, technical, scientific, or creative group, unified by a common set of values, norms, and working practices, producing knowledge for a given purpose. The concept draws upon recent work on the sociology of scientific knowledge, which argues that knowledge is a product of a context-dependent social process. It is related to the concept of a community of practice but involves less direct contact between the members of the group concerned. Knowledge communities have been used to explain features of the emerging space economy, but especially the continuing dynamism of industrial agglomerations (i.e., urban and regional grouping of firms, often in the same sector).

Working Harder and Working Smarter: The survival strategies of contemporary independent musicians

Brian J. Hracs (2016) (Link)

The Production and Consumption of Music in the Digital Age. Eds B. J. Hracs, M. Seman and T.  Virani. Routledge (41-55).

ABSTRACT 

Although digital technologies and restructuring in the music industry have furnished musicians with unprecedented levels of autonomy and are widely considered emancipatory, the working lives of contemporary independent musicians are fraught with risk and uncertainty. To date, however, little is known about the strategies musicians are developing to overcome the inefficiencies of the ‘Do It Yourself’ (D.I.Y.) model and mediate the risks associated with the hyper-competitive marketplace. Drawing on 65 interviews, this chapter explores the interrelated spatial, organizational and commercial strategies being used by independent musicians in Toronto, Canada.

 

 

Selling the Stage: Exploring the spatial and temporal dimensions of interactive cultural experiences

Brian J. Hracs & Doreen Jakob (2015)

Spatial Dynamics in the Experience Economy. Eds Lorentzen, A., L. Schrøder and K. Topsø Larsen. Routledge 71-87. (PDF)

Abstract

With declining entry barriers, digital technologies and global integration, the marketplace for cultural products - including music and craft - has become saturated and highly competitive. Indeed, Apple’s iTunes music store offers over 37 millions songs and Etsy listed over 34 million new cultural products in 2013. This ‘dilemma of democratization’ curtails the ability of independent cultural producers to command monopoly rents. In response, cultural entrepreneurs are developing innovative strategies to market and monetize their products and to ‘stand out’ in the crowded marketplace (Hracs et al. 2013). This chapter contributes to our understanding of the experience economy, consumption and entrepreneurship by examining the ways in which poorly understood independent cultural producers are using experiences as standalone products to help supplement and promote their goods and services. In particular, it demonstrates how local producers are manipulating four different aspects of their experience offerings (exclusivity, interactivity, space and time) and harnessing consumer desires for symbolic value, authenticity and creative expression. 

Satisfaction Guaranteed? Individual preferences, experiences and mobility

Brian J. Hracs & Kevin Stolarick (2014)

Seeking Talent for Creative Cities: The Social Dynamics of Economic Innovation. Ed J. L. Grant. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 99-118. (PDF)

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Abstract

This chapter draws on interviews with musicians in Toronto to develop a framework to explain their mobility. The findings suggest that musicians are initially attracted by expectations of the amenities and other socioeconomic conditions they will find in a specific location. Places that meet or exceed expectations are deemed authentic. The research provides a nuanced theoretical framework relating regional amenities, attractiveness, and stated mobility intentions to inform policy actions that regions can use to help attract and retain talented individuals.

Beyond Bohemia: Geographies of everyday creativity for musicians in Toronto’.

Brian J. Hracs (2009)

Spaces of Vernacular Creativity: Rethinking the Cultural Economy. Eds T. Edensor, D. Leslie,  S. Millington and N. Rantisi. London: Routledge: 75-88. (PDF)

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Abstract

Since it was first used to describe the lifestyle of eccentric artists in the 1830‘s the notion of bohemia has served to connote alternative living. Today studies suggest that the geography of bohemia is highly concentrated in large cities. Even as new bohemian neighborhoods unfold in a dynamic urban landscape, significant continuity is said to exist between these communities and their counterparts of the past. Indeed, bohemian spaces continue to be characterized as cheap, gritty, dangerous and isolated, and these features help to attract traditional bohemians, including artists and musicians. As new technologies, techniques and communication networks facilitate creative practice in a growing range of sites, however, these highly concentrated pockets of creativity are spilling- over from downtowns to suburban spaces. In particular, there is evidence that the changing nature of independent music production is becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile with the romanticized milieu of bohemia, and that some of the key features of bohemian living hinder the creative process. Drawing on 65 interviews with musicians in Toronto I demonstrate that in order to achieve the most favorable balance between the cost, location and characteristics of their live/work spaces, some musicians in Toronto are relocating from bohemian enclaves to ‘everyday’ locations in the suburbs. 

 

Cultural Facilities as Important Elements of a Sustainable City: the example of Toronto, Canada

Bryan H. Massam & Brian J. Hracs (2005)

Society, Economy, Environment - Towards the Sustainable City. I. Sagan and D. M. Smith. Gdansk, Poland, Research and Education Centre for Urban Socio-Economic Development: 107–120. (PDF)

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