This is Not New

Art, Culture, and the Promise of Change

By: David Balzer

Write A Review

Paperback | 22 September 2025 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
192 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
19.8 x 12.8 x 1.5

Paperback

RRP $34.95

$32.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $8.19 with

or

Ships in 5 to 7 business days

What does it mean to call something 'new'? Why is Western culture, even after postmodernism, still so obsessed with the concept? What are the political consequences of relying on this culture to bring about social change?

In this provocative book, David Balzer argues that Western culture was never designed to produce truly new or original artefacts. Rather, the West moves from fixation to fixation, trend to trend-a cycle of creation and destruction with deep origins in Judeo-Christianity and the paganism that preceded it. The culture industry is rooted in a resource-scarce economy, which promises its own form of change while preserving many other things exactly as they are.

From the New Jerusalem to the New Left, Vannevar Bush to Kate Bush, This Is Not New takes a dynamic approach, asking difficult questions about the role of culture not in making change, but in delaying-even preventing-it. Balzer urges us to look at the Western culture industry for what it is, lest it become all there is.

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.