======================= HES POSTING ==================== ANNOUNCEMENT: Summercourse THE VALUE OF CULTURE August 11 - August 20, 1997 Amsterdam, the Netherlands Course Leaders: Deirdre McCloskey and Arjo Klamer Economics and Culture often seem to be at odds with each other. Economists don't care for culture and those who are into culture usually don't have the patience for economics. This schism, notwithstanding, culture has undeniably an economic dimension and it could be argued that economics has an important cultural dimension. In this course we explore the two-way interactions between culture and economics. We will do so by bringing into the discussion insights from art, anthropology, rhetoric, literature and philosophy. The central theme will be the value of culture. It involves not only an inquiry into the economic value of the arts, but also into the value of culture in general. We will discuss, among other topics, the social and economic significance of gift giving, identity, gender and creativity. The scene of Amsterdam will serve as the backdrop for our discussions. It will allow us to see how those who work in the cultural field try to get around the market, and what role the gift plays in the Dutch arts. We recommend this course to anyone working in the field of economics, cultural studies, sociology, anthropology. the arts, philosophy, and related fields. Application forms can be obtained from the addresses below. Further details and a provisional program are appended. Arjo Klamer Deirdre McCloskey Dates: Monday August 11 - Wednesday August 20, 1997 Morning sessions will begin at 10 a.m. and finish at 12 a.m. Afternoon sessions will start at 2 p.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. There will be a couple of excursions Location Felix Meritis, Keizersgracht 324, Amsterdam Application Please return the completed application form as soon as possible and not later than June 1 to The Amsterdam-Maastricht Summer University, P.O. Box 53066, 1007 RB Amsterdam, the Netherlands. (fax:31.20.624 9368) Course leaders/ lecturers: Deirdre McCloskey, John F. Murray Professor of Economics and Professor of History at the University of Iowa; In 1996 she held the Tinbergen Visiting Professorship at the Erasmus University, Rotterdam Arjo Klamer, Professor of the Economy and Art and Culture at the Erasmus University Rotterdam Scholarships A limited number of scholarships is available for economists from Central- and Eastern Europe who have a proven interest in the economics of the arts. A motivation letter, a curriculum vitae and a completed application form should be sent in to take part in a selection procedure. Registration Registration will take place on Sunday August 10 between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. in Felix Meritis, Keizersgracht 324, Amsterdam. At 5 p.m. The Amsterdam- Maastricht Summer University will offer welcome drinks to the participants. Fee NLG 1275, including lunch and free access to the International Summer Stage, the cultural programme of The Amsterdam-Maastricht Summer University Language English PROGRAMME Monday August 11: The Rhetoric of Economics Lecturers: Deirdre McCloskey, Arjo Klamer Economics as a science is rhetorical in the sense that economists employ metaphors, narratives and other rhetorical devices to make their point. The dominant practice in economics expresses modernist rhetoric. Recommended reading: Deirdre McCloskey, The Rhetoric of Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, 1984. Deirdre McCloskey, The Vices of Economists -The Virtues of the Bourgeoisie, Amsterdam University Press/University of Michigan Press, 1996. Arjo Klamer, "The Conception of Modernism in Economics: Samuelson versus Keynes", in: Sheila Dow and John Hillard (ed.), Keynes, Knowledge and Uncertainty, London, Edgar Elgar, 1995, pp. 318-333. Arjo Klamer and Thomas Leonard, "So What's an Economic Metaphor," in : Natural Images in Economics, ed. by Phillip Mirowski, Cambridge University Press, 1994. Tuesday August 12: Rhetorics and the Economy Lecturers: Deirdre McCloskey, Arjo Klamer Not only economists but also consumers, entrepreneurs and other economic agents are practising rhetorics. What will follow when we conceptualise markets as conversations rather than as mechanisms of supply and demand? Recommended reading: Arjo Klamer and Deirdre McCloskey: "One Quarter of GDP is Persuasion", American Economic Review, May 1995. Adam Smith: selections from The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations. Clifford Geerz: selected articles In the afternoon there will be an excursion to the stock exchange in Amsterdam where we will test our findings of that morning. Wednesday August 13: The Value of Culture Lecturers: Deirdre McCloskey, Arjo Klamer By calling attention to the rhetorical practices in economics and the economy we revive old classical traditions in economic thinking. A pivotal concept in these traditions is that of value. What happens if economists were to take the concept of value seriously again? One possible consequence may be a revaluation of the role of culture in the economy. Hence the topic of today: the value of culture. Recommended reading: Arjo Klamer (ed.), The Value of Culture, Amsterdam University Press /University of Michigan Press, 1996. Thursday August 14: Bourgeois Virtues Lecturers: Deirdre McCloskey, Arjo Klamer The value of culture shows up in the virtues that constrain and facilitate economic interactions. Deirdre McCloskey will argue on behalf of the bourgeois virtues. Recommended reading: Deirdre McCloskey, in : A. Klamer (ed.), The Value of Culture, Amsterdam University Press/ University of Michigan Press, 1996. Philippa Foot, "Virtues and Vices and Other Essays" in: Moral Philosophy, University of California Press, 1978 In the afternoon we will visit a cultural institution in Amsterdam to try out some of the concepts and theories discussed the previous day. Friday August 15: Gift and Identity Lecturers: Deirdre McCloskey, Arjo Klamer A topic that is neglected by economists but not by anthropologists is that of the gift. We will explore the role of the gift in contemporary economics and the relationship between gift-giving and culture. The world of the arts will provide a special case. Recommended reading: Aafke Komter (ed.), The Gift, Amsterdam University Press, 1996 Saturday August 16: The Value of Cultural Heritage Excursion (optional) Sunday August 17: free Monday August 18: Feminist Ethics Lecturer: Edith Kuiper, Universiteit van Amsterdam The value of care shows up in the institutions of care. Feminist philosophers and economists in particular have paid attention to these institutions. Tuesday August 19: The Postmodern in Economics Lecturers: Jack Amariglio, Merrimack College, US Judith Metha, University of East Anglia, UK Amariglio and Metha are postmodernist economists. They endorse the rhetorical and cultural perspectives of Klamer and McCloskey but are critical of the ways in which they fill these perspectives. Wednesday August 20: Wrap up and Conclusions Lecturers: Deirdre McCloskey, Arjo Klamer, Edith Kuiper, Jack Amariglio, Judith Metha, Profile of the lecturers: Deirdre McCloskey has been Professor of Economics and History at the University of Iowa since 1980 and Visiting Professor at the Erasmus University Rotterdam since 1996. She has become well known for her work in economics and caused a stir in the world of economists by claiming that economics is rhetorical. Her most recent publication is The Vices of Economists -The Virtues of the Bourgeoisie. Arjo Klamer is Professor of Economics of Art and Culture at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. He has contributed to the rhetorical perspective on economics with his book Conversations with Economists. His most recent publication is The Value of Culture in which he focuses on the relation between economics and the arts. Jack Amariglio is Professor of Economics at Merrimack College, US. He is editor of the journal Rethinking Marxism. He has written extensively on postmodernism in economics,on Foucault and economics, and the neglect of the body in standard economic theory. He is currently working on a book with David Ruccio on postmodernism and economics. Judith Metha is Professor in Economics at the University of East Anglia, UK. She writes on postmodern economics and focuses particularly on the role of gender and that of cultural industries. Edith Kuiper has been teaching at the Universiteit van Amsterdam. She is working on a study on gender in the history of economic thought. ============ FOOTER TO HES POSTING ============ For information, send the message "info HES" to [log in to unmask]