Representation, subjectivity and sexuality continue to be central to scholarly inquiry in the humanities and social sciences. Deciphering Culture explores their relationship, each author taking a distinct approach to the concept of 'curiosity' as a way of deciphering the working of particular cultural formations. In the process they address a variety of topics including
*the historical formation of subjectivities, identities and differences; *cultural conduct and habits of the self; *everyday cultures and negotiation; *consumption and the body; *memory, history and autobiography; and *the ethics of critical and textual inquiry.
This fascinating book will appeal to students and academics from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds in the social sciences and cultural studies.

Melbourne's bid to become the world's second UNESCO City of Literature marks a new phase in the global move towards the creative city. Victoria, it is said, is where arts and culture are at the centre of economic thinking. But what does this say about the value of culture, the benefits of cultural participation and the distribution of benefits to a wider community? Do the most important impacts of the arts defy measurement? How can our cultural centres find a language to express the value that Australians see? Kay Ferres and David Adair search among our performing arts venues for a new kind of yardstick, one that might define the ineffable.