Readers in Cultural Criticism – serie

What do we mean when we talk about 'the body'? This Reader challenges the assumption that it can be invoked as a neutral, or indeed natural, point of reference in critical discussion or cultural practice. The essays collected here foreground the historical construction of 'the body' throughout a range of discourses from the modern to the postmodern, and seek to present it not as a biological 'given', but as a contestable signifier in the articulation of identities.

The words 'postmodernism' and 'postmodernity' have become pervasive throughout the humanities, but their meanings frequently seem difficult to pin down. Anyone with an interest in contemporary culture is likely, sooner or later, to face a wide range of questions, such as: what is the postmodern? How does it relate to the world today? Have we entered a new age in which the problems facing modernity are no longer relevant, or does modernity mark a new way of thinking about those same issues? How does cultural postmodernism shape our experiences of contemporary society? These are just some of the questions that are explored in this book.Postmodern Debates introduces modernity, postmodernism and postmodernity through a series of debates between prominent thinkers in literary theory, philosophy and cultural studies. The book explores this topic through thinkers who are at odds and encourages readers to consider the wide implications of postmodern thought in several areas.

The words 'postmodernism' and 'postmodernity' have become pervasive throughout the humanities, but their meanings frequently seem difficult to pin down. Anyone with an interest in contemporary culture is likely, sooner or later, to face a wide range of questions, such as: what is the postmodern? How does it relate to the world today? Have we entered a new age in which the problems facing modernity are no longer relevant, or does modernity mark a new way of thinking about those same issues? How does cultural postmodernism shape our experiences of contemporary society? These are just some of the questions that are explored in this book.Postmodern Debates introduces modernity, postmodernism and postmodernity through a series of debates between prominent thinkers in literary theory, philosophy and cultural studies. The book explores this topic through thinkers who are at odds and encourages readers to consider the wide implications of postmodern thought in several areas.

What is posthumanism and why does it matter? This reader offers an introduction to the ways in which humanism's belief in the natural supremacy of the Family of Man has been called into question at different moments and from different theoretical positions. What is the relationship between posthumanism and technology? Can posthumanism have a politics - post-colonial or feminist? Are postmodernism and poststructuralism posthumanist? What happens when critical theory meets Hollywood cinema? What links posthumanism to science fiction? Posthumanism addresses these and other questions in an attempt to come to terms with one of the most pressing issues facing contemporary society.

What is posthumanism and why does it matter? This reader offers an introduction to the ways in which humanism's belief in the natural supremacy of the Family of Man has been called into question at different moments and from different theoretical positions. What is the relationship between posthumanism and technology? Can posthumanism have a politics - post-colonial or feminist? Are postmodernism and poststructuralism posthumanist? What happens when critical theory meets Hollywood cinema? What links posthumanism to science fiction? Posthumanism addresses these and other questions in an attempt to come to terms with one of the most pressing issues facing contemporary society.

Is seeing a matter of nature? Does perspective show things as they really are? Can we read an image in the same way as a text? Reading Images draws together essays that attempt to answer these questions but in a variety of ways and from the different theoretical positions offered by psychoanalysis, semiotics, poststructuralism and postmodernism. The anthology opens up a dialogue between seeing and the seen, text and image, theory and practice. By discussing a range of visual material, from advertising and architecture to painting and photography, it crosses generic and disciplinary boundaries and suggests ways in which vision and visuality are related to questions of textuality, subjectivity, race and gender.

Questions about how and why we read the past continue to demand the attention of cultural critics. Reading the Past introduces key debates about history, historiography, and historicism which have transformed approaches to the past in departments of History and Literature. It includes influential and provocative theoretical essays as well as lively case studies and readings by literary critics and historians. The emphasis is on providing teachers and students with accessible yet challenging material to stimulate debate.

What is performance? We do not need to be in a theatre to think about the theatricality of how we behave in culture, but can a performance exist if there are no spectators? How do we know when performances are taking place if there is no curtain rising and falling? What does the act of performance achieve? How does performance studies attempt to answer those questions?This collection of lively and stimulating articles on performance studies provides an understandable introduction to the field, and to the way in which performance touches all of our lives - from the rituals and ceremonies in which we partake, to the way we present ourselves depending on the company we keep. Together these articles help clarify what constitutes performance studies and introduce the reader to the many theoretical perspectives - including feminist, queer, post-structuralist and post-colonial - which are used to study performance in culture. Acts considered range from those that can be easily identified as performance, such as the strip-show, to the more theoretically complex, such as performative speech. One of the first of its kind on performance studies, this reader is an essential text for all those with an interest in the subject, or who are approaching it for the first time.

A new kind of writing about Irish culture has emerged in recent years, the best examples of which are gathered in this volume. Joining political, linguistic, social and historical approaches to culture, these essays have substantially altered the critical climate of Irish Studies. The Introduction provides a vantage point from which to survey the contemporary critical and cultural currents, while the summaries, glossary and notes for further reading will assist readers who wish to explore in greater depth this challenging and contested field.