Global cities and cultural experimentation: cosmopolitan-local connections

Pilar Ximena Rojas Gaviria, Julie Emontspool

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract


Purpose: Studying the cultural dynamics of expatriate amateur theater in Brussels, this paper investigates multicultural marketplace development in global cities.
Design/methodology/approach: The paper performs an interpretive analysis of the expatriate amateur scene from an ethnographic perspective, combining observations of rehearsals and performances, in-depth interviews with actors, directors and audience, and secondary data.
Findings: The fluidity of global cities allows their inhabitants to engage in creative processes of cultural experimentation, performing a continuous back-and-forth movement between hybridization and pluralization. The former creates enough homogeneity for the expatriates to feel targeted; the latter ensures a level of cultural diversity necessary to satisfy their cosmopolitan aspirations.
Practical implications: The paper points to the important role of global cities for cultural experimentation. Such cities are not only an interesting market for culturally diverse products, but also experimental hubs. Managers willing to address multicultural marketplaces might target these markets with dynamic cultural offers that ensure a balance between rendering a product globally appreciated and recognizable, and maintaining a cosmopolitan appeal for consumers in search of diversity.
Originality/value: Drawing on global cities as markets in continuous reconstruction and subject to cultural experimentation, the paper turns the attention of the research community to the collective, reflexive, and experimental aspects of symbolic consumption. It shows how arts and cultural products represent valuable contexts for international marketing research, providing original insights into market dynamics and cultural experimentation.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)181-199
Number of pages19
JournalInternational Marketing Review
Volume32
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Apr 2015

Keywords

  • Multicultural marketplace
  • cultural experimentation
  • global cities
  • cultural pluralism
  • cultural hybridization
  • cosmopolitanism
  • theatre
  • Brussels

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