Jordan and Harris' Cultural Economics: Markets and Cultures

by Emma Coleman Jordan, Angela Harris

This book provides an always fascinating exploration of culture race, gender and identity in the marketplace, providing a structured conversation about some of the most difficult issues of the economic valuation of culture and indeed the very meaning of cultural subordination. We consider four central Lastly, attention is given to the dynamics of the market valuation of the human capital components of language, hairstyle, sexual difference, and culturally significant garb. Does control of these modes of expressive autonomy depress the wages and opportunities for advancement of workers who do not choose to assimilate with the dominant culture? More important, are cultural styles associated with subordinated groups so devalued by the majority that non-assimilationists must pay an economic penalty for their personal preference to seek harmony between their inner lives and their outer appearance.

393 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005