The Value of Ethnic Identity for Creative Entrepreneurs

Ethnic minority creatives stand at the crossroads of globalization and the rise of the knowledge economy. Yet little research has been conducted on their entrepreneurial experiences, management strategies and success stories. By studying their cases, we contribute to streams on ethnic entrepreneurship, creative entrepreneurship, and diversity. Like all entrepreneurs, ethnic minority creatives are subject to influences of "significant others" in their field (teachers, critics, patrons, experts, journalists, curators, customers, peers). Yet they are also, as minority entrepreneurs, highly visible in this majority dominated world. This "double" opportunity structure makes it possible to stand out with their work, and to tell a unique story. Yet it also causes the possibility that their work is considered too different, resulting in its classification as inferior or less relevant. By focusing on this relationship between the structure of the creative industries and the agency of individual ethnic minority creatives, this book sheds light on business strategies for creatives, the value of identity for creativity, and is aimed at anyone studying the mechanisms of the creative industries.

Auteur

Annelies Thoelen obtained her Ph.D. in Business Economics in 2015 at SEIN (Identity, Diversity and Inequality Research) at Hasselt University (BE). She holds a master degree in Art History from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (BE), and in Cultural Management from the University of Antwerp (BE).