PUBLIKUTVECKLING - En kvalitativ analys av ett begrepp i tiden

Abstract

This study deals with the concept of Audience Development from both a linguistic and a practical perspective. Due to the complex nature of the concept and the possibilities of interpretation, we have studied how the concept is implemented in the various activities within Gothenburg's public cultural sector, through qualitative interviews and surveys. The result shows that the interpretations play a crucial role in how Audience Development is used, both in practice and linguistically. The word also sustains different power relations that affects the culture. The word originated in the UK and was initiated in the Swedish context from a research and social policy agenda. This study raises perspectives of power and critical linguistics to highlight underlying factors that have contributed to the concept of multidimensional substance in the word. Theories used in this study are Pierre Bourdieu’s theories of Habitus, Capital and Field, Michel Foucault’s theory of Power and Antonio Gramsci’s theory of Hegemony.