Jim McGuigan – författare

The book examines a wide range of issues in cultural policy and blends a close reading of key theories with case studies. Topics covered include:

Topics covered include: the relationship between critical theory and cultural studies; the pragmatics of cultural research and education; ethical questions and research purposes; the role of feminism in cultural studies; the uses of autobiography; the analysis of city cultures; textual analysis and ethnographic procedures; constructions of identity in relation to `race', sexuality and nationhood; the use of qualitative and quantitative data; and some of the main issues involved in generating research findings for a thesis or other publication.

The book is written for students either commencing or intending to do research in cultural studies. It stresses how necessary it is to consider and plan very carefully the rationales and principles in research while avoiding the straitjacket of `methodolatory'.

Topics covered include: the relationship between critical theory and cultural studies; the pragmatics of cultural research and education; ethical questions and research purposes; the role of feminism in cultural studies; the uses of autobiography; the analysis of city cultures; textual analysis and ethnographic procedures; constructions of identity in relation to `race', sexuality and nationhood; the use of qualitative and quantitative data; and some of the main issues involved in generating research findings for a thesis or other publication.

The book is written for students either commencing or intending to do research in cultural studies. It stresses how necessary it is to consider and plan very carefully the rationales and principles in research while avoiding the straitjacket of `methodolatory'.

′Jim McGuigan is one of cultural studies′ leading practitioners. This volume is a generous and wide-reaching exploration of how to use cultural theory to explore a wide variety of topics, brought together under the sign of the struggle for a vigorous, participatory public sphere′ - Toby Miller, University of California

This book represents a distinctive approach to cultural analysis, using multi-dimensional methods for addressing issues of public interest.

Stressing the impact of both neoliberalism and the formation of a ′cool capitalist culture′ that has colonised everyday life around much of the globe, Jim McGuigan deploys his original concept of the ′cultural public sphere′ within several carefully analysed case studies, including:

• celebrity death

• festivals and urban regeneration

• ′race′ and multicultural controversy

• popular television

• social significance of the all purpose mobile communication device in a privatised and individualised way of life

• riskiness and uncertainty in the creative and media industries

This is a radical intervention in the research agendas and conceptual development of cultural policy studies, cultural sociology and, more generally, in the broad field known as ′cultural studies′. It offers challenging theoretical arguments that are substantiated with concrete evidence of cultural and social processes.

Originally conceived as the sequel to his 1961 The Long Revolution,  Williams' 1983 title Towards 2000 has been unfairly classified as a period piece. With the permission of the Williams Estate, the book has been re-entitled A Short Counter-Revolution – Towards 2000 Revisited, with noted Williams expert Jim McGuigan adding a chapter that updates the original with a survey of developments since its publication, par­ticularly concerning the impact of neoliberalism, a phenomenon sighted early by Raymond Williams and named ‘Plan X’. In this new edition, Jim McGuigan makes a totally convincing case to read the book as a contemporary classic.  It remains an indispensable guide to:

Originally conceived as the sequel to his 1961 The Long Revolution,  Williams′ 1983 title Towards 2000 has been unfairly classified as a period piece. With the permission of the Williams Estate, the book has been re-entitled A Short Counter-Revolution – Towards 2000 Revisited, with noted Williams expert Jim McGuigan adding a chapter that updates the original with a survey of developments since its publication, par­ticularly concerning the impact of neoliberalism, a phenomenon sighted early by Raymond Williams and named ‘Plan X’. In this new edition, Jim McGuigan makes a totally convincing case to read the book as a contemporary classic.  It remains an indispensable guide to:

Raymond Williams was a complex figure with various different facets to his activity. Raymond Williams: Cultural Analyst concentrates on the formation and application of his cultural-materialist methodology and its relation to his politics. Surveying Williams’s extensive writings across the fields of cultural studies, sociology and Marxist theory, the overall objective is to rescue Williams from his routine treatment as a literary scholar, and restore him to his rightful place as a leading scholar of the social sciences, not least for his theoretically sophisticated contribution to the field in the form of cultural materialism. Ultimately, this book argues that Williams should be regarded as a cultural analyst in the sociological rather than narrowly literary sense.

The book is replete with examples of Williams’s ideas and concepts that are of direct and illuminating relevance to twenty-first century problems. Throughout, Jim McGuigan displays a remarkable capacity to explain Williams’s sometimes complex ideas in an inviting and intuitively appealing way, making interesting connections across key concepts. For those familiar with Williams’s work, this new book will come as a breath of fresh air, and for readers coming across Williams for the first time, this offers an inspiring and vivid introduction to his work.

Raymond Williams was a complex figure with various different facets to his activity. Raymond Williams: Cultural Analyst concentrates on the formation and application of his cultural-materialist methodology and its relation to his politics. Surveying Williams’s extensive writings across the fields of cultural studies, sociology and Marxist theory, the overall objective is to rescue Williams from his routine treatment as a literary scholar, and restore him to his rightful place as a leading scholar of the social sciences, not least for his theoretically sophisticated contribution to the field in the form of cultural materialism. Ultimately, this book argues that Williams should be regarded as a cultural analyst in the sociological rather than narrowly literary sense.

The book is replete with examples of Williams’s ideas and concepts that are of direct and illuminating relevance to twenty-first century problems. Throughout, Jim McGuigan displays a remarkable capacity to explain Williams’s sometimes complex ideas in an inviting and intuitively appealing way, making interesting connections across key concepts. For those familiar with Williams’s work, this new book will come as a breath of fresh air, and for readers coming across Williams for the first time, this offers an inspiring and vivid introduction to his work.

'Jim McGuigan is one of cultural studies' leading practitioners. This volume is a generous and wide-reaching exploration of how to use cultural theory to explore a wide variety of topics, brought together under the sign of the struggle for a vigorous, participatory public sphere' - Toby Miller, University of California

This book represents a distinctive approach to cultural analysis, using multi-dimensional methods for addressing issues of public interest.

Stressing the impact of both neoliberalism and the formation of a 'cool capitalist culture' that has colonised everyday life around much of the globe, Jim McGuigan deploys his original concept of the 'cultural public sphere' within several carefully analysed case studies, including:

• celebrity death

• festivals and urban regeneration

• 'race' and multicultural controversy

• popular television

• social significance of the all purpose mobile communication device in a privatised and individualised way of life

• riskiness and uncertainty in the creative and media industries

This is a radical intervention in the research agendas and conceptual development of cultural policy studies, cultural sociology and, more generally, in the broad field known as 'cultural studies'. It offers challenging theoretical arguments that are substantiated with concrete evidence of cultural and social processes.

'Jim McGuigan is one of cultural studies' leading practitioners. This volume is a generous and wide-reaching exploration of how to use cultural theory to explore a wide variety of topics, brought together under the sign of the struggle for a vigorous, participatory public sphere' - Toby Miller, University of California

This book represents a distinctive approach to cultural analysis, using multi-dimensional methods for addressing issues of public interest.

Stressing the impact of both neoliberalism and the formation of a 'cool capitalist culture' that has colonised everyday life around much of the globe, Jim McGuigan deploys his original concept of the 'cultural public sphere' within several carefully analysed case studies, including:

• celebrity death

• festivals and urban regeneration

• 'race' and multicultural controversy

• popular television

• social significance of the all purpose mobile communication device in a privatised and individualised way of life

• riskiness and uncertainty in the creative and media industries

This is a radical intervention in the research agendas and conceptual development of cultural policy studies, cultural sociology and, more generally, in the broad field known as 'cultural studies'. It offers challenging theoretical arguments that are substantiated with concrete evidence of cultural and social processes.

"The most important Marxist cultural theorist after Gramsci, Williams' contributions go well beyond the critical tradition, supplying insights of great significance for cultural sociology today... I have never read Williams without finding something worthwhile, something subtle, some idea of great importance" - Jeffrey C. Alexander, Professor of Sociology, Yale University Celebrating the significant intellectual legacy and enduring influence of Raymond Williams, this exciting collection introduces a whole new generation to his work.

Jim McGuigan reasserts and rebalances Williams' reputation within the social sciences by collecting and introducing key pieces of his work. Providing context and clarity he powerfully evokes the major contribution Williams has made to sociology, media and communication and cultural studies.   Powerfully asserting the on-going relevance of Williams within our contemporary neoliberal and digital age, the book:

Original and persuasive this book will be of interest to anyone involved in theoretical and methodological modules within sociology, media and communication studies and cultural studies.