Difference and exclusion at work in the club culture economy

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between the construction of difference and the making of exclusion in the club culture economy. Based on ethnographic research in Manchester, it argues that the cultural practices of the consumers of a local cultural economy need to be viewed together with the practices of its producers in order to understand the interrelation of cultural differentiation and exclusion, which affects both groups. A discussion of the terms ‘underground’ and ‘underclass’, and their particular evocation in the cultural context highlights the interrelationship of social contexts, differentiation and exclusion in the cultural work realm. In conclusion, the article argues in favour of a consideration of these contexts and particularly of the inscription of ‘difference’ in research on work in the cultural industries.