Dr. Mark Taylor is one of the authors of Culture Is Bad for You: Inequality in the Cultural and Creative Industries. In this talk, he will discuss some of the ways in which culture is unequal, and the ways that culture reinforces inequalities. Starting with unequal access to cultural events, unequal cultural childhoods are followed by inequalities in the cultural workforce: White men from middle-class backgrounds are the most likely to get cultural jobs. But the inequalities don’t stop once people are already in work, with people from marginalized groups more likely to have negative experiences and less likely to be promoted.
This talk will present the key findings from the book, focusing on the question of how these inequalities have persisted over time in spite of efforts to make access to culture more equal. Drawing on extensive survey work and more than 200 interviews with cultural workers, it will demonstrate the varied pathways through which the most privileged people have been able to ensure that the cultural sector is most welcoming to people who look and sound like themselves. It will also address how these same people use the language of inequalities to reinforce their own positions.
Mark is keen to discuss with participants the themes of the book in the context of contemporary Northern Ireland.
Tickets are free but booking essential. Read more and book here
23rd march 2023: 12.30pm at QUB