Knowledge, Communication and Creativity

Book excerpt: ′The book is a theoretically rich and sophisticated contribution to the development of knowledge society studies and to the analysis of the many puzzles of intellectual innovation. It will surely become a sourcebook for anyone interested in creativity and knowledge production′ - Karin Knorr Cetina, University of Chicago and University of Konstanz ′Gathers together some of the most interesting social-scientific thinking currently underway in Europe and North America... presents sociology in its most engaging and contemporary form′ - Canadian Journal of Sociology Knowledge, communication and creativity are obsessions of contemporary modern societies. The rhetoric of information, imagination, improvisation and play have invaded our daily lives and work spaces. However, little attention has been paid to the sociological relationships among these elements, let alone their impacts as processes driving social change. This book offers penetrating explorations into the creative processes that are tied to knowledge production, shedding new light on: " the impact of a general increase in knowledge on individuals, lifestyles, institutions and technologies; " how new communication and information technologies are transforming social relationships, communities and the international public sphere; and " understanding the ties between creativity, communication and the production of knowledge.