Global Culture Industry

In the first half of the twentieth century, Theodor Adorno wrote about the 'culture industry'. For Adorno, culture too along with the products of factory labour was increasingly becoming a commodity. Now, in what they call the 'global culture industry', Scott Lash and Celia Lury argue that Adorno's worst nightmares have come true.

Their new book tells the compelling story of how material objects such as watches and sportswear have become powerful cultural symbols, and how the production of symbols, in the form of globally recognized brands, has now become a central goal of capitalism. Global Culture Industry provides an empirically and theoretically rich examination of the ways in which these objects - from Nike shoes to Toy Story, from global football to conceptual art - metamorphose and move across national borders.

This book is set to become a dialectic of enlightenment for the age of globalization. It will be essential reading for students and scholars across the social sciences.

S. Lash, Professor of Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths College, University of London

C. Lury, Professor of Sociology, Goldsmiths College, University of London

1. Introduction: Global Culture Industry.

2. Method: Ontology, Movement, Mapping.

3. The Biography of Euro 96: Branding the Event.

4. Art as Concept/Art as Media/Art as Life.

5. The Thingification of the Media: Animism and Animation.

6. The Mediation of Things: In Medias Res.

7. Flow: The Practices and Properties of Circulation.

8. Image, Markets and Display in Brazil.

9. Conclusion: Virtual Objects and the Social Imaginary.