Generative coexistence: rethinking marketization in the cultural field

This study answers calls for reflexive debate on marketization by re-evaluating its dynamics in the context of a cultural field. As cultural organizations face increased pressures amid diminishing state funding, marketization is often framed as a one-sided dominance of the market logic that risks commodifying art and eroding its intrinsic value. However, the purpose of our research is to rethink marketization by generating a more nuanced understanding of the coexistence of market and cultural field logics. Departing from institutional logics as a method theory, we conduct a systematic literature review of 118 papers to synthesize evidence of how interactions of seemingly incompatible logics can contribute to the cultural field's transformative potential. The study provides two key contributions. First, we draw attention to an overlooked dynamic of generative coexistence, a field-level phenomenon that arises from complex interrelations between cultural field properties, tensions within the field, and actors’ efforts to influence the development of the field. We develop a framework that captures how the generative coexistence of market and cultural field logics occurs when market logic is interpreted beyond pure economic exchange. Second, the framework identifies three forms of purpose-driven market work—the deliberate efforts by actors to (re)interpret and enact market logic in the cultural field without compromising its core values: (1) recognizing cultural products' commercial appeal, (2) adopting entrepreneurialism, and (3) aligning on shared goals rather than means. We conclude by explicating implications for practitioners and future research avenues.