McCleery, Alistair (2009) The Empire of books: reviewing the march of globalisation. In: 7th International Conference of the Book, 16th-18th October 2009, University of Edinburgh. (Unpublished)

Abstract/Description

The relationship between trade, political and cultural sovereignty, legal infrastructures and language lies at the core of this paper. Previous accounts of this relationship have been characterised either by a form of technological determinism and/or a teleological sense of new publishing paradigms. It is argued here that the relationship between these factors has been more complex as it must acknowledge a more proactive role played by publishers themselves. In particular, the publisher is seen as a strategic opportunist, taking advantage of social and political circumstances while lobbying for such structural change as is necessary to optimise that exploitation for aspirational and commercial ends. The specific case studies used to illustrate this argument include the Berne Convention, the Traditional Markets Agreement and English-language publishing in Germany.

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