Introduction. Producing Mass Culture

This thematic issue offers an historical perspective on the cultural economy and creative work by focusing on the production of mass culture from the late 19th century to the 1930s. The contributions bring together approaches from cultural sociology as well as social and cultural history to analyze the spheres of production, producers and mediators, working conditions, labor relations and distribution structures in different cultural industries. They investigate the social and spatial organization of the cultural economy within and beyond Germany's borders to critically assess national perspectives on cultural production and to offer new insights into the social and economic history of German society.