Journal of Co-operative Studies, 59(2), 3-13
Co-operative imaginaries: A co-operative editorial
| Open access |  | Editorial | Published online: November 2026 |
Imagining co-operatives? Co-operatives and co-operative economy in art and culture. An introduction to the special issue
Aidan Byrne,*
Martin Parker,** and Anita Mangan**
*Wolverhampton University, UK
**University of Bristol, UK
Vol 59 No 2, 3-13
Abstract
In the 1960s, Marxist and feminist educationalists coined the idea of the ‘hidden curriculum’ to cover topics which were not talked about. If there were no women scientists mentioned in the classroom, then girls and boys would be less likely to imagine that girls could become scientists. By analogy then, if co-operatives are not present on TV shows, comics, films, even in the business school, then citizens and students will think of them as minor and nostalgic economic forms, if they think of them at all. That is why, in this issue, we are turning to questions of art, culture, and imagination because these are the domains within which questions about economy and organisation get framed, and all too often, within which a corporate capitalist economy becomes naturalised. This, broadly, is what Marx meant by ideology – a system of beliefs which support the status quo by claiming that it reflects eternal facts about human nature. The authors contributing to this special issue each develop the question of the co-operative imaginary beyond the abstract: on the page and screen, in bricks and mortar and across the world. We hope you find ideas and inspiration in this issue, as well as an opening for thinking and practising a co-operative cultural politics.
How to cite this article: Byrne, A., Parker, M. & Mangan, A. (2026). Imagining co-operatives? Co-operatives and co-operative economy in art and culture. An introduction to the special issue (Co-operative editorial). Journal of Co-operative Studies, 59(2), 3-13. https://doi.org/10.61869/GEUJ2189
Read the full text
