In this paper I draw on my experience, in the context of the UK higher education sector, of trying to be ‘useful’. Specifically, I discuss cultural policy work, and contextualize this through debates in both cultural studies and geography concerning relevance and engagement beyond the academy. In a confessional tone, I argue that the translations that occur in the policy environment can result also in ‘mundanization’, in the emptying out of applied research as it is repurposed to suit the pressing needs of a public sector, fast-policy audit culture.
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