Mobilising Manchester through the Manchester International Festival: Whose city, whose culture? An exploration of the representation of cities through cultural events By: Hannah Bayfield A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Sheffield Faculty of Social Sciences Department of Urban Studies & Planning Supervised by: Dr Andy Inch and Professor John Flint Submission date: October 2015 i ii Acknowledgements Given the urban context of this thesis it seems appropriate that – in addition to thanks to my family – it should be dedicated to three cities. As such, this is a thank you to Manchester, to Sheffield, to Cardiff. Manchester is not just the subject matter of the thesis, it’s where the idea that a PhD could even be an option to me was born, and for that all thanks go to Dr Nicola Headlam. Without the funding offered by The University of Sheffield, and the supervision and support given by Dr Andy Inch and Professor John Flint, this work would never have been completed, and so thanks go to them as well as my USP cohort of 2011/12 who have provided tea and sympathy from near and far over the past four years. Finally, to Cardiff, the city I’ve called home for the latter half of this process. The presence, encouragement and kindness of (amongst others) Melissa Beard, Dr Naomi Swift, Dr Oliver Castell and Laura Colebrooke is something I will never forget, and will always hold dear. iii Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................ iii Contents ............................................................................................................... iv Tables .................................................................................................................. vii Figures ................................................................................................................. vii Abstract ................................................................................................................. 1 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Research Aims ........................................................................................................ 5 1.1.1 Aim ................................................................................................................................... 5 1.1.2 Objectives ....................................................................................................................... 5 1.1.3 Research Questions ...................................................................................................... 6 1.2 Research Contributions ....................................................................................... 6 1.3 Thesis Structure ..................................................................................................... 7 2 Context ............................................................................................................... 9 2.1 Contemporary Urban Regeneration, and After ............................................... 9 2.2 Cultural Events and Urban Festivals ............................................................. 12 2.3 Introducing the Case Study ............................................................................. 15 2.3.1 Manchester ................................................................................................................... 15 2.3.2 Manchester International Festival ......................................................................... 21 3 Literature Review ........................................................................................... 25 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 25 3.1.1 Conceptualising Culture ........................................................................................... 26 3.1.2 Power and Elites in the City ................................................................................... 28 3.2 The Context of Culture and Urban Regeneration ....................................... 30 3.2.1 Historical Trajectory: 19th/20th Century ............................................................ 30 3.2.2 The current state of culture in cities ..................................................................... 32 3.2.3 Cultural Planning, Competitive Cities, Creative Class ..................................... 34 3.2.4 City Branding and Place-Marketing ...................................................................... 37 3.2.5 Culture, Regeneration, Economy .......................................................................... 39 3.2.6 More than the Economy: Culture’s Multifaceted Benefits ............................. 40 3.2.7 Image-creation and Representation ...................................................................... 41 3.3 Critiques ............................................................................................................... 44 3.3.1 Legitimacy, authenticity and the prioritisation of elite concerns ................... 44 3.3.2 The focus on economy and tourism ..................................................................... 48 3.3.3 The danger of assumed benefits ............................................................................ 49 3.3.4 Gaps in the literature ................................................................................................. 51 3.4 Contribution ........................................................................................................ 52 3.4.1 Furthering the Debate .............................................................................................. 53 4 Framework ...................................................................................................... 57 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 57 4.2 Uses of Culture, Cultural Value and Cultural Studies ................................ 59 4.2.1 A Cultural Studies Approach .................................................................................. 59 4.2.2 Culture and Identity .................................................................................................. 61 iv 4.3 Urban Identity and Place-Making .................................................................. 62 4.3.1 Identity and Place: claims to place-making .......................................................... 63 4.3.2 Place-making or place-marketing ........................................................................... 64 4.4 Power and Capital as tools for understanding ............................................. 65 4.4.1 Introducing Power ..................................................................................................... 65 4.4.2 Cultural Capital ........................................................................................................... 67 4.5 City Identity ........................................................................................................ 68 4.5.1 Introducing Habitus .................................................................................................. 68 4.5.2 From Habitus to City Identity ................................................................................ 69 4.6 Culture and a Sense of Place ............................................................................ 71 4.6.1 Reflections .................................................................................................................... 72 4.6.2 Understanding identity and a sense of place ....................................................... 72 5 Methodology ................................................................................................... 77 5.1 Rationale .............................................................................................................. 77 5.1.1 Approach ...................................................................................................................... 77 5.1.2 Case Study Location .................................................................................................. 79 5.2 Methods ............................................................................................................... 81 5.2.1 Participant Observation ............................................................................................ 81 5.2.2 Interviews ..................................................................................................................... 88 5.2.3 Document Analysis .................................................................................................... 96 5.3 Philosophical and Practical Considerations .............................................. 101 5.3.1 Access ......................................................................................................................... 101 5.3.2 Ethics .......................................................................................................................... 102 5.3.3 Personal Role and Positionality ........................................................................... 103 5.3.4 Personal Definitions and Reflexivity .................................................................. 104 5.4 Conclusion .......................................................................................................