The aim of this article is to highlight and critically discuss three theoretical fields which have paid close attention to the relationship between culture, the market economy and learning: the critical theory of Adorno and Horkheimer, cultural studies, and theories of entrepreneurship education. In all these fields there are strong notions about how people actually use culture and, sometimes, also an interest in its implications for learning. I will pay special attention to whether the theories construct the consumer of culture by way of dichotomies and value hierarchies, in order to make a plea for a more nuanced and anti-dualistic approach to the question of the uses of culture and its potentials for learning.