Government policy and definitions of art – The case of comics

Abstract

The article discusses the role of government policy in the societal process of producing definitions for ‘art’ and in becoming established as an artistic field. The discussion is based on an empirical case which demonstrates the complex role of public policy in defining a certain area as one of the arts and as eligible for government support for the arts. The analysis makes use of the concepts of artistic classification systems introduced by Paul DiMaggio and artistic fields by Pierre Bourdieu. It traces the encounters of the Finnish field of comics and government policy during a time span from the 1950s to the present day. The case of comics shows the development of one area of cultural production from a suspected criminal case to a state supported field of art, and demonstrates the various roles different areas and measures of government policy can take in the development of an emerging artistic field.

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