Cultural policy as a governmental field: entrepreneur artists

Abstract

This article presents some aspects of the work of the British researcher Tony Bennett (1988, 1998, 2008, 2011) about cultural policy and artistic field. The author adopts Foucault's (2016) concept on governmentality and suggests the encounter between post-Kantian aesthetics and liberal thought at the end of the eighteenth century allowed for the arts and cultures to be understood as a governmental field. This trend can be seen in the development of cultural policies, particularly those starting from the middle of the twentieth century, and, more recently, in the spread of the concept of creative economy. We further elaborate on Foucault's thought, especially on entrepreneurship and human capital. The hypothesis is that one of the factors that transforms art circuits into a matter of concern in contemporary society is the manner how artists invest their own life into artistic production. Interest groups are multiplied and struggle for better work conditions and public policies. On the other hand, networks run the risk of limiting themselves to their own circuits, thus fragmenting the cultural field. The challenge is to turn art and culture into a common good, which is part of the population’s daily life.