The business of creativity : toward an anthropology of worth /

Focused primarily on creative practices in Japan, business anthropologist/artist Moeran here alternates chapters on ethnography with propositions on the nature of creativity. Too many Anglo-European theorists romanticize creativity as indescribable, based only on individual talent. By studying creative worlds in a contemporary Eastern context, the author offers an interesting counterview. "Putting on a Show," "Shooting an Ad Campaign," and "Editing Fashion Magazines" are three of five case studies presented. Chapter 2 gives a detailed ethnographic account of the author's pottery exhibition in a Japanese department store. Chapter 4 reviews the predefined creative brief followed by a production team making a TV commercial. Chapter 6 shows the editorial difficulties faced by a fashion magazine that must build each issue to appeal equally to readers and advertisers. These chapters are full of candid details shared by the protagonists as they show how creativity works in practice. This is a dense book. Readers should start with the case studies and then return to the introductory chapter, "Overture." This approach will allow a better understanding of Moeran's theories on how cultural agents, institutions, and materials compete for resources, and of project collaboration for creating economically valuable art. Useful for multidisciplinary collections. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above. C. Donaldson independent scholar