The Mutability of Cultural Value: A Critical Analysis

The contemporary cultural value debate has been broadly UK-driven, albeit with European and international dimensions. However, the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent focus on sector working conditions has raised urgent questions about the social role and impact of the arts. Starting from the premise that questions of cultural value are subjective, political, and highly contextualised, this article contextualises the debate on cultural value within cultural policy discourse in Ireland and questions the extent to which the concept of cultural value and its related debates are mutable in different national contexts. The article discusses key themes of cultural value in Ireland such as intrinsic value and how identity categories (particularly Irish national identities manifested through culture) co-exist in the specific context of a post-colonial country. Highlighting the significance of data, evaluation, inequality and national identity to evolving notions of cultural value, the article explores the mutability of cultural value across nations.