Feminist Perspective on Communication – serie

Sexualities and Popular Culture is a fascinating exploration into the study of popular culture and its influence on how we perceive the endless varieties of the sexualized human presentation of self in everyday life. Author Carl B. Holmberg presents a short history of the notion of popular culture and communication giving clear definitions and generous examples that illustrate the evolving portrayal of human sexuality. Holmberg gathers evidence from the "popular" inherent in all aspects of our culture from familiar sources such as books, film, magazines, and television, to less common ones such as prehistoric texts, sports, and everyday popular practices to explain how pervasively popular culture communicates sexuality to us and through us. This book is also highly recommended as supplementary reading for upper-division undergraduate and graduate students studying popular culture, gay and lesbian studies, sociology, and mass communication. "Carl B. Holmberg's Sexualities and Popular Culture is one of the most important works in the field of cultural studies published in recent years. Well written in its analysis, wide ranging in its discussion, and containing numerous 'gems' of insight on a topic rarely approached, Holmberg's study is a must read for anyone seriously interested in the social dynamics of our culture." --Gary Hoppenstand, Michigan State University

The Production of Culture is timely and relevant. . . . Diana Crane introduces the reader to this busy field of scholarly activity, organizes the strands of theory and empirical research in an orderly fashion, and advances some bold notions about the relationship between organizational 'contexts' and innovation. --Contemporary Sociology "Crane melds numerous sources concisely and clearly in her argument that cultural forms cannot be understood 'apart from the contexts in which they are produced and consumed.' . . . looks like a good start to a useful series." --Communication Booknotes "Crane's overview is clearly written and does an effective job of incorporating concepts and theories from communication, cultural studies, economics, and literature, as well as her home territory, sociology." --Communication Booknotes How does the media shape and frame culture? How does media entertainment vary under different conditions of production and consumption? What types of meanings and ideologies do these modes of production convey, and how do they change over time? How does media culture differ from other forms of recorded culture produced in nonindustrial settings? In The Production of Culture, the inaugural volume in the new Foundations of Popular Culture series, Diana Crane argues that these are the kinds of questions social scientists should concern themselves with. She contends that recorded cultures simply cannot be understood apart from the contexts in which they are produced and consumed. A review and synthesis of the current media literature, Crane's work examines both the popular and elite levels of media production. This investigation allows readers to understand how the notion of production can change depending on the size of the audience and/or the structure of the cultural industry. A systematic and accessible approach to a complex topic, The Production of Culture will have appeal not only to professors and students of cultural studies, but will also interest those studying sociology and art history.

Popular usage equates hegemony with dominance–a meaning far from Antonio Gramsci's original concept where hegemony appears as a contested culture that meets the minimum needs of the majority while serving the interests of the dominant class.

This text is the first to present cultural hegemony in its original form–as a process of consent, resistance, and coercion. Hegemony is illustrated with examples from American history and contemporary culture, including practices that represent race, gender, and class in everyday life.

U.S. cultural hegemony depends in part on how well media, government, and other dominant institutions popularize beliefs and organize practices that promote individualism and consumerism. Corporate dominance and market values reign only through the consent of the majority, which, for the time being - finds material, political, and cultural benefit from existing social relations. As deep social contradictions undermine brittle hegemonic relations, the subordinate majority - including blacks, women, and workers will seek a new cultural hegemony that overcomes race, gender, and class inequality.

Popular usage equates hegemony with dominance–a meaning far from Antonio Gramsci's original concept where hegemony appears as a contested culture that meets the minimum needs of the majority while serving the interests of the dominant class.

This text is the first to present cultural hegemony in its original form–as a process of consent, resistance, and coercion. Hegemony is illustrated with examples from American history and contemporary culture, including practices that represent race, gender, and class in everyday life.

U.S. cultural hegemony depends in part on how well media, government, and other dominant institutions popularize beliefs and organize practices that promote individualism and consumerism. Corporate dominance and market values reign only through the consent of the majority, which, for the time being - finds material, political, and cultural benefit from existing social relations. As deep social contradictions undermine brittle hegemonic relations, the subordinate majority - including blacks, women, and workers will seek a new cultural hegemony that overcomes race, gender, and class inequality.

Witty and accessible, Popular Culture Genres is a fascinating study of genres and genre criticism. Author Arthur Asa Berger empowers readers to make their own analysis by providing the methods and examples of good criticism. Part I deals with genres from a critical perspective, asking questions such as: How do the conventions of different genres affect the creation and production of texts and the audiences of those texts? Do certain genres have significant social and political implications? And, how do genres evolve? Part II takes a look at five "classic" popular texts (in both their novel and film versions). Viewing these works in the context of their respective genres is not only instructive in nature but captivating reading as well.

Is it possible that consumers exploit advertising even more so than advertising exploits and influences our culture? Author Jib Fowles argues that consumers look to advertising to provide them with images that can assist them in negotiating the personal dilemmas of advanced industrial life. Advertising and Popular Culture is the first comprehensive text to provide a balanced analysis of advertising and its companion, the popular culture, conveyed through the mass media. Reflecting current theories, this thoughtful critique uses excerpts from advertising campaigns to illustrate how modern advertising both draws from and contributes to popular culture. Fowles traces the role of advertising in our culture from its evolution as part of the culture of mass consumption in the late 19th century, the development of advertising agencies, and the creation of a consumer culture to an exploration of the major themes of American advertising. Advertising and Popular Culture represents a fresh and fully elaborated conceptualization of the services that advertising and popular culture provide. This text will be a vital tool in departments and schools of advertising, journalism, and communication where increasing emphasis is being placed on studying the cultural significance of advertising.

Arthur Asa Berger's unique ability to translate difficult theories into accessible language makes this book an ideal introduction to cultural criticism. Berger covers the key theorists, concepts, and subject areas, from literary, sociological, and psychoanalytical theories to semiotics and Marxism. Cultural Criticism breathes new life into the discipline by making these theories relevant to students' lives. The author illustrates his explanations with excerpts from classic works giving readers a sense of the important thinkers' style and helping place them in their context. Berger also provides a comprehensive bibliography on cultural criticism for those who wish to explore the topics at greater length.

Cultural Criticism is the perfect undergraduate supplemental text for such courses as media studies, literary criticism, and popular culture.