Power and the Culture Industry
The culture industry, power, and politics have often become entangled. In many cases, visual representations, theater, architecture, advertising, and events have been called upon to define and strengthen a particular brand of politics. They have been used to render the world that a particular leader hopes to bring about, represent how potential voters will benefit from this world, and even showcase what these people will look like in the future. At the same time, cultural producers have in some cases drawn on the rhetoric, organizational tactics, and demands of power and agency as a central part of their practice. This has involved calls for revolution, overturning the existing aesthetic regime, politically subversive artistic content, communal living arrangements, and renderings of how the world might be radically different if their ideas are implemented. In some of the most significant moments of the last century, these two tendencies combined equally to form movements stretching across society and propelling rapid political, social, and cultural changes. In some cases, these movements led to extreme tragedy while in others they formed the foundation of a new era of equal rights and social solidarity.
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Today, the relationship between cultural producers and politics is as complex as ever. On one hand, contemporary tools of cultural production have allowed cultural producers to render a critique with increased clarity while also being able to draw on powerful distribution networks to reach a vast audience. The ability of anyone to capture an event with their digital device has allowed for enhanced agency and increased ability to hold those in power accountable for their actions. Meanwhile, powerful cultural institutions are devoting space and resources to frame deeply powerful practices that challenge dominant narratives and open more space for those who have historically not been represented equally within government. More broadly, the realm of cultural production has supported a robust discourse at the intersection of philosophy, aesthetics, art history, cultural theory, sociology, anthropology, ecology, and political science that has produced individuals who are highly engaged in politics – at least at a conceptual and aesthetic level.
At the same time, those people, agencies, and apparatuses that together define a government often feel deeply disconnected from many of the views and goals of the vast majority of those working in the culture industry–regardless of the political affiliation of a given producer. Although these individuals and organizations control the tools of representation, sustain a range of narrative spaces, create the amazing experiences that define our existence, produce finely crafted products, and develop images that define a moment and even a generation, they are generally not supported by political leaders that understand the challenges of cultural production and fail to prioritize policies that can make it easier and more sustainable. Instead, political leaders remain largely out of touch with the consumer experience of the cultural sphere as they chose to focus on topics like healthcare, reproductive rights, immigration, and tax policy – all of which are also important. When they do draw on the culture industry, it is often to offer a regurgitation of past narratives that lack a genuine investment in imagining and selling a vision of the future to the electorate.
In this context, we should ask how cultural producers can attain greater agency and ultimately play a bigger role in representational politics. This could take the form of playing a role in building a coalition that is powerful enough to draw the attention of politicians. It could also involve building on existing socially engaged art practices and activating cultural institutions as sites of gathering and organizing. It might build on momentum that has been created by electing actors, reality television stars, and comedians to positions of power who, in turn, can ensure that the infrastructure and policies that benefit the culture industry are put into place. If this were to occur, it would be essential to reconsider what we expect of these leaders whose professional background is no longer within the legal profession. While legislation will still be essential, it may be important to look towards a new generation of leaders to help create shared images of the future, support an existence that is more fun, beautiful, and rewarding, and use their social skills to build the necessary alliances to make these dreams a reality.
Potential Clients & Collaborators
This line of research would resonate with a wide network of institutions across arts, policy, academia, media, and civic innovation. Below are a few examples:
Cultural Institutions and Foundations (Nonprofit / Public) – Organizations that explicitly explore the intersection of culture, power, and social change. These organizations are actively interrogating the political function of art and cultural production, and would support frameworks that bridge aesthetics, activism, and governance.
Civic and Policy Organizations (Nonprofit / Institutional) – Groups interested in connecting artistic and civic imagination to real political structures. They are exploring how storytelling, design, and cultural production can renew democratic participation, representation, and collective visioning.
Academic and Research Institutions (Public / Private / Hybrid) – Universities and research centers where art, politics, and media theory converge. These institutions can incubate pilot projects—like cultural policy experiments, civic storytelling tools, or frameworks for cultural representation in governance.
Media, Creative, and Communications Firms (For-Profit) – Agencies that shape public narratives, manage identity, and influence political representation. These entities already act as mediators between culture and politics; your research could help them formalize their influence and responsibility in this space.
Philanthropic, Advocacy, and Social Enterprise Organizations – Groups that mobilize art and culture for social transformation and coalition-building. They’re looking for frameworks that translate cultural influence into measurable civic and political impact.
Political Communication, Campaign, and Experience Design Firms (For-Profit) – Firms that blend narrative, aesthetics, and mobilization—often hiring creatives from the cultural sector. They would benefit from tools and insights connecting creative expression, representation, and political coalition-building.
Technology and Platform Companies (For-Profit) – Platforms that mediate how culture and politics circulate digitally. They are under increasing pressure to understand and support the political consequences of cultural production across their platforms.
