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Theme 1: Cultures of Competitiveness: Discourses and Knowledge Brands

Short description

This seminar examines the importance of brands in the post-Fordist economy (Arvidsson 2006), especially in its manifestation as a knowledge-based economy. Papers will focus on the emergence of 'economic competitiveness' as a new body of knowledge that is linked not only to theoretical and policy paradigms but also to specific 'knowledge brands' that are associated with high profile, high-value academic-gurus. New policy paradigms and knowledge brands (e.g., Porter's diamond model) and their implications for economic strategy and policy making are mediated by discourses and discursive networks (Thomas 2003; Sum 2006). They are frequently recontextualized on different scales and across different sites (Bernstein 1990; Muntigl et al., 2000; Fairclough 2006) and integrated into different sets and styles of strategy and policy oriented to economic competitiveness and its extra-economic preconditions. The seminar will also examine how institutions and individuals refashion policy and everyday practices and how this in turn affects skills, gender, class and race (McGuirk 2004).

Full programme

Date: 18th January 2008

Venue: Lancaster University , Institute for Advanced Studies and Department of Politics and International Relations

Seminar Papers

‘Brand and General Intellect', Adam Arvidsson, Media Studies, Copenhagen University

‘A Cultural Political Economy of Competitiveness: Knowledge Brands and Knowledging Technologies', Ngai-Ling Sum, Politics, Lancaster University

‘EU and Competitiveness Discourse' (Handout) Ruth Wodak, Linguistics, Lancaster University

‘Design Cities, Brand Value', Guy Julier, Architecture, Landscape and Design, Leeds Metropolitan University

‘Recontextualizing the Competitiveness Discourse: Branding Rome as a “Competitive Community”', Nana Rodaki, Politics, Lancaster University

‘The Discursive Construction of Education's Role in Economic Competitiveness: from Major to Blair', Jane Mulderrig, Linguistics, Lancaster University

‘Competitiveness, the New Labour Project and Part 2.2 of the Project to Restructure the Working Class', Alex Nunn, Leeds Metropolitan University