How should we value culture? In
What Matters? Talking Value in Australian Culture (Monash University Press, 2018), Professors
Julian Meyrick,
Robert Phiddian and
Tully Barnett, from Flinders University's
Laboratory Adelaide: The Value of Culture project, explore the troublesome question at the core of much contemporary cultural policy. The book charts the struggles over cultural data collection, both in the Australian setting and with implications for many more global debates. It draws on a wealth of examples from across humanities and literature, as well as cultural events. Setting out the importance of narratives, critiquing both the rise of digital platforms and the reductiveness of economic approaches, the book offers a radical alternative for those seeking to defend the value of culture in contemporary politics and society.