Communications and Culture – serie

Art theory', understood as those forms of aesthetics, art history and criticism which began in the Enlightenment and culminated in 'high modernism', is now at an end. These essays, examining the interdependencies of advertising, film, painting and photography, constitute a call for a 'new art theory' - a practice of writing whose end is to contribute to a general 'theory of representations': an understanding of the modes and means of symbolic articulation of our forms of sociality and subjectivity.

The book is recommended and should be read by every member of the IRTC. Those working in radio will also find it rewarding.' - Playback

This interdisciplinary book explores women's narratives in a wide variety of media and genre, from soap opera and film to the post-modern novel and Shakespearian drama. Adopting an innovative feminist perspective, it focuses particularly on the themes of hybridity and monstrosity in language and the body. In doing so, it raises issues to do with closure and temporal and spatial dislocation, drawing on themes of passion, paranoia and desire.

Neither a manifesto nor a one-sided critique, this new book introduces a number of original essays exploring various aspects of that contemporary cultural phenomenon named postmodernism. These essays are prefaced by an introductory essay which sets out the major lines of a debate which is about nothing less than the current shape and future prospects of our society.

An introduction to and critique of the latest trends in critical theory.

The social sciences are still predominantly modernist disciplines and, as such, products of the Enlightenment. Recent challenges to Enlightenment thinking thus carry with them the potential or threat to transform the social sciences radically. Postmodernism and the Social Sciences examines the nature and potential of this postmodernist challenge in each of the major social sciences. Starting with the practices of particular disciplines and proceeding to matters of shared concern, the essays provide an accessible discussion of the contemporary impact of postmodernism on social scientific thought.

The social sciences are still predominantly modernist disciplines and, as such, products of the Enlightenment. Recent challenges to Enlightenment thinking thus carry with them the potential or threat to transform the social sciences radically. Postmodernism and the Social Sciences examines the nature and potential of this postmodernist challenge in each of the major social sciences. Starting with the practices of particular disciplines and proceeding to matters of shared concern, the essays provide an accessible discussion of the contemporary impact of postmodernism on social scientific thought.

Videography is an attempt to discover the conditions under which it is possible to speak, write and teach about the electronic media. It provides a materialist account of video and computer media as they are practised and used today. A theoretical section tests the claims of various theses in art history, media and cultural theory to account for the variety of video practice in the contemporary scene. The remainder of the book is devoted to close analysis of work, from amateur video to computer graphics.

Art theory'', understood as those forms of aesthetics, art history and criticism which began in the Enlightenment and culminated in ''high modernism'', is now at an end. These essays, examining the interdependencies of advertising, film, painting and photography, constitute a call for a ''new art theory'' - a practice of writing whose end is to contribute to a general ''theory of representations'': an understanding of the modes and means of symbolic articulation of our forms of sociality and subjectivity.

The book is recommended and should be read by every member of the IRTC. Those working in radio will also find it rewarding.'' - Playback

Neither a manifesto nor a one-sided critique, this new book introduces a number of original essays exploring various aspects of that contemporary cultural phenomenon named postmodernism. These essays are prefaced by an introductory essay which sets out the major lines of a debate which is about nothing less than the current shape and future prospects of our society.

An introduction to and critique of the latest trends in critical theory.

This book has been a standard text for cultural studies and the sociology of art since its first appearance in 1981. It provides a clear and useful overview of theories and studies which contribute to the project of a sociology of art, ranging from sociology to art history, literary theory, feminism and media studies. The author also bridges the gap between European approaches and the American production of culture approach, and addresses the key questions of the role of the reader/viewer, the nature of authorship, and the possibility of cultural politics. The new edition contains an Afterword by the author.

Videography is an attempt to discover the conditions under which it is possible to speak, write and teach about the electronic media. It provides a materialist account of video and computer media as they are practised and used today. A theoretical section tests the claims of various theses in art history, media and cultural theory to account for the variety of video practice in the contemporary scene. The remainder of the book is devoted to close analysis of work, from amateur video to computer graphics.