Christopher E. Bell – författare

The popular definition characterizes celebrity as a product of manufacture rather than merit. If fame is taken to represent the recognition of achievement, then modern celebrity, in contrast, must be based on something other than achievement, for celebrity and fame are not the same thing.This book explores the process by which celebrity is created, using the first seven seasons of Fox Television's American Idol as a framework for analysis of how celebrity is defined, generated, nurtured, and intensified.

The new essays in this book make two central claims. First, for some people, the word "feminist" has been either poorly defined or even demonized. Hermione Granger, of the Harry Potter series, serves as an outstanding example of what modern young feminism looks like: activist, powerful and full of agency, yet feminine, romantic and stylish--a new kind of feminism for a new kind of girl.The second claim the essays make is that our young, emergent feminist Hermione Granger is a pivotal character upon whom the entire series rests--not Harry Potter himself (or, at least, not Harry Potter solely). It is Hermione who solves every difficult puzzle, performs every difficult spell, and to whom her two male companions look for guidance and advice. On several occasions throughout the series, Hermione literally saves the world through her actions. This is an outstanding model for young women (and for young men as well) who are confused about how feminism manifests and operates in 2012.

Harry Potter has given the study of popular culture a unique platform for exploring the nature of human identity. "Potter Studies" is developing into a vibrant interdisciplinary field of scholarship.This collection of new essays examines issues surrounding race, class, gender, sexual orientation and personal virtue, both in the wizarding world and in our own. The contributors discuss an array of meanings and contexts in the Harry Potter universe relating to identity issues, and the ways in which these manifest in fandom cultures and real-world schools and businesses.

The social relations, societal structures and existential conundrums in the world of Harry Potter novels reflect our own. When the authoritarianism of Hogwarts falls upon Harry, it is an echo of disciplinary practices in real-world high schools. The economic inequities of the wizarding world mirror those of modern societies. The art, literature and mass media of wizard society reveal our deep-rooted fears. Harry's world is our world. This collection presents new essays by contributors across a range of disciplines, bringing fresh perspectives on one of the most influential texts in modern history.

Transmediation--the telling of a single story across multiple media--is a relatively new phenomenon. While there have been adaptations (books to films, for example) for more than a century, modern technology and media consumption have expanded the scope of trans-mediating practices.Nowhere are these more evident than within the Harry Potter universe, where a coherent world and narrative are iterated across books, films, video games, fan fiction, art, music and more. Curated by a leading Harry Potter scholar, this collection of new essays explores the range of Potter texts across a variety of media.

Many scholars recognize the importance of Harry Potter as a vehicle for discussions about society--from race relations and gender studies to economic, political, religious and educational applications of the texts.This interdisciplinary collection of new essays brings to the forefront a critique of modern Western society, using Harry's world as a mirror to our own. Covering issues surrounding parenting and family relations, social class, life and death, the link between identity and morality and even the risks of time travel, this collection provides many jumping-off points for scholars and nonscholars alike to spark discussions about both Harry's world and our own.