ABSTRACT
The increasing interdependence between culture and the economy in urban policies of western European cities over the last forty years has affected the definition and uses of culture and creativity at the local level. The rise of cultural-cognitive economy has led to a market-centred notion of culture in a context of neoliberal articulation of urban policy. Despite scholars’ efforts to “unpack” this fuzzy and instrumental conceptualization, the sociological analysis of the configuration of non-market centred rationalities in the cultural policy field is an incipient area of research. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to contribute to the development of a sociological approach for the study of the social and institutional practices involved in the rise of these emerging rationalities that have been expanded since the outbreak of the crisis of 2008. With this purpose, we study the role of bottom-up initiatives in a democratic deepening of urban cultural policy making. We examine this problem through a significant case study: the community-managed socio-cultural center Can Batlló (2011) that has become an influencing actor regarding the question we are addressing. We have collected data using qualitative methods that include observation, in-depth interviews and the study of documentary sources.
