Dr Jonathan Gross

Dr Gross joined King’s in 2015, following research and teaching posts at the universities of Leeds and Sheffield. His research addresses questions of cultural policy, participation and politics from a variety of perspectives, building on his interdisciplinary background in cultural studies, audience studies, and the history of political thought. At the centre of his research are questions of the role of the state in culture, and the role of culture in human flourishing. Dr Gross’s current projects include:

• Developing Inclusive and Sustainable Creative Economies, funded by the European Commission (Horizon2020), in collaboration with colleagues at King’s and at universities in Finland, Italy and Latvia.
• Future Festivals South Africa: Possibilities for the Age of Covid-19, funded by the AHRC, in collaboration with colleagues at King’s and at Rhodes University.

Research Interests and PhD Supervision

• Cultural policy
• Cultural participation
• Cultural democracy
• The cultural politics of hope

Jonathan is pleased to receive PhD enquiries on these topics and his related areas of interest, including: audiences, everyday creativity, cultural value, the capabilities approach to human development, futures, and political imagination.

For more details, please see his full research profile.

Teaching

Jonathan teaches on the BA Culture, Media & Creative Industries, the MA Arts & Cultural Management, and the MA Cultural & Creative Industries. Previously he taught on MA programmes in Culture, Creativity and Entrepreneurship (University of Leeds), Music Management (University Sheffield), and on a number of BA programmes at Birkbeck College, University of London. He is an External Examiner at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.

Expertise and Public Engagement

Jonathan is a regular contributor to discussions beyond academia. He has shared his research with cultural practitioners and policymakers internationally and across the UK, including events held at West Yorkshire Playhouse, CBSO Centre Birmingham, the Cheltenham Music Festival, the Barbican Centre, and The Museum of London. His research typically addresses possibilities for progressive change - working with policymakers, cultural organisations and publics in doing so; and he has conducted a number of programme evaluations, directly informing the development of specific cultural projects. Jonathan was a member of the organising committee of the 2019 conference of the Human Development and Capability Association, held in the UK for the first time.

Selected publications

• Gross, J. and Wilson, N. (2020) ‘The Green New Deal and Cultural Policy’. In Oakley, K. and Banks, M. (Eds.) Cultural Industries and the Environmental Crisis: New Approaches for Policy. New York: Springer. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-49384-4_11
• Gross, J. (2020) ‘Holding Together Loss and Hope: Reflections on the Need for Art in Times of Crisis’. Journal of Psychosocial Studies. Vol 13 (2), pp. 209-217. https://doi.org/10.1332/147867320X15894731588869
• Gross, J. (2020) The Birth of the Creative Industries Revisited: An Oral History of the 1998 DCMS Mapping Document. London: King’s College London. doi.org/10.18742/pub01-017
• Gross, J. (2019) ‘Practices of Hope: Care, Narrative and Cultural Democracy’. International Journal of Cultural Policy. DOI: 10.1080/10286632.2019.1702032
• Gross, J. and Wilson, N. (2018) ‘Cultural Democracy: an Ecological and Capabilities Approach’. International Journal of Cultural Policy. 26:3, 328-343, DOI: 10.1080/10286632.2018.1538363