Justin O’Connor

Justin O’Connor is Professor of Cultural Economy at the University of South Australia (UniSA) and Visiting Professor at the School of Cultural Management, Shanghai Jiaotong University. He is a leading critical voice in cultural policy and the political economy of culture, known for his work challenging the economic framing of cultural production.

His research focuses on cultural economy, cultural policy, and the politics of the creative industries. He has extensively analyzed the impact of market-driven policies on cultural practice and advocates for a re-politicization of culture. His work bridges academic research and policy development, with significant contributions to UNESCO’s 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of Cultural Diversity through his role in the Expert Facility from 2012 to 2018.

O’Connor has a strong publication record, co-editing key volumes like the Routledge Companion to the Cultural Industries (2015) and authoring influential books such as Culture Is Not An Industry (2024) and Red Creative: Culture and Modernity in China (2020). His recent work examines cultural development in Asia, particularly in China and Shanghai.

He is affiliated with the Creative People, Products and Places Research Centre (CP3) at UniSA and has advised on cultural policy for numerous cities and governments worldwide, including in Europe, Russia, Korea, Vietnam, China, Mauritius, and Samoa under UNESCO/EU programs. He is currently collaborating with the Reset Collective.