5. Cultural Production Beyond Extraction? A First Approach to Extractivism and the Cultural and Creative Industries in Argentina

This chapter is based on the premise that extractivism is not only an economic model but also a social, political and cultural phenomenon that affects all spheres of private and public life. In other words, we might speak of a logic of extraction. With this in mind, the chapter acts as a first approach to the question: how do the cultural and creative industries mobilize and reproduce a logic of extraction? Taking Argentina as a focus and context of enquiry, I explore this question by adopting the perspective of extractivism to discuss development and the cultural economy. I begin by discussing the concepts of development, extractivism and cultural development. I then move on to describe the setup of the cultural and creative industries in Argentina. Following this, I analyze a case of state-sponsored and culture-led gentrification in order to exemplify how the logic of extraction is mobilized in the cultural sphere. Finally, I conclude by suggesting some ways forward in thinking about cultural production beyond extraction.