Publication Details
Nelson, C. (2010). The invention of creativity: The emergence of a discourse. Cultural Studies Review, 16(2).
Abstract
Creativity is increasingly cited as the key to social and economic change in the 21st century. It is also a very modern concept — making its first appearance as an English noun in 1875. This paper investigates the cultural construction of creativity in the context of the history of ideas. It understands creativity not as a given human attribute or ability, but as an idea that emerges out of specific historical moments, shaped by the discourses of politics, science, commerce, and nation. It shifts the ground of analysis away from the naturalised models that have traditionally dominated the field of creative practice research, in order to highlight the historicity of a concept that is more commonly deemed to be without history.
Keywords
Peer-reviewed
