Norcliffe and Rendace (2003) offer an explanation of 'why certain forms of cultural production have recently become geographically dispersed' (p. 242). Outline this explanation and discuss its connections with the concept of post-fordism.
Cultural production has been enabled to change its geographies of location over recent years, in particularly due to advancements in technology and a post-fordist shift in production. Norcliffe and Rendace (2003) use the example of comic book production to examine these changes in more detail, as the comic book industry has undergone rapid changes over the past few decades. Different industries of cultural production have reacted differently to a post-fordist shift in production. This has been because of numerous factors, especially the different needs of industries.
A clear example of the change from fordism to post fordist production methods are seen in the changing nature of the comic book industry. There are two aspects to the creation of a comic book; the creation of the comic, such as the writing and drawing, and the production, such as the publishing.
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Comic book superherosThese aspects used to be controlled under one business, however now this can be split between two independent companies, that provide a service to one another. These two production methods require minimal to no physical contact with each other due to the advancements in technology.
Most industries of cultural production are in clusters to benefit from information sharing, close access to communal services and access to sources of news (such as parliament houses) and culture (such as celebrities). Mass culture in particularly, relies on the close networks of people for its spread. This type of cultural production is very different to comic production in that it relies so heavily on its location; whereas for comic production, it plays a much more minor role.
Geographical dispersion has been specifically...