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Book SynopsisClassic manual on home cultivation of psilocybin mushrooms - a musty-have for any enthusiast.

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Book SynopsisThe fifth edition of this popular textbook considers diversity in the mass media in three main settings: Audiences, Content, and Production.The book brings together 55 readings â the majority newly commissioned for this edition â by scholars representing a variety of humanities and social science disciplines. Together, these readings provide a multifaceted and intersectional look at how race, gender, and class relate to the creation and use of media texts, as well as the media texts themselves. Designed to be flexible for use in the classroom, the book begins with a detailed introduction to key concepts and presents a contextualizing introduction to each of the three main sections. Each reading contains multiple 'Itâs Your Turn' activities to foster student engagement and which can serve as the basis for assignments. The book also offers a list of resources â books, articles, films, and websites â that are of value to students and instructors.This volume is an essential introduction to interdisciplinary studies of race, gender, and class across both digital and legacy media.Table of Contents1. Laying a Foundation for Studying Race, Gender, Class, and the Media Part 1: Audiences 2. Media Effects 3. Audience Studies Part 2: Content 4. Journalism and Advertising 5. Film and Television 6. Music and Digital Media Part 3: Production 7. Media Industries and Producing Media Content 8. Epilogue and Resources

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Book SynopsisThis volume explores and elucidates Critical Ancient World Studies, a new model for the study of the ancient world operating critically, setting itself against a long history of a discipline formulated to naturalise a hierarchical, white supremacist origin story for an imagined modern ‘West’.Table of ContentsIntroductions; 1. Towards a Manifesto for Critical Ancient World Studies – Mathura Umachandran and Marchella Ward; 2. Critical Muslim Studies and the Remaking of the (Ancient) World – S. Sayyid and AbdoolKarim Vakil; Critical Epistemologies; 3. Reading for Diasporic Experience in the Delian Serapeia– Helen Wong; 4. Recentering Africa in the Study of Ancient Philosophy: The Legacy of Ancient Egyptian Philosophy – Nicholas Chukwudike Anakwue; 5. Epistemic Injustice in the Classics Classroom – Ashley Lance; Critical Philologies; 6. Comparative Philology and Critical Ancient World Studies – Krishnan J. Ram-Prasad; 7. Forging the Anti-Lexicon with Hephaestus – Hannah Silverblank; 8. Sappho’s Body as Archive: Towards a Deep Lez Philology – Ella Haselswerdt; Critical Time and Critical Space; 9. Colonial Cartography and the Classical Imagination: Mapping Critique and Dreaming Ancient Worlds – Mathura Umachandran; 10. Away from "Civilisational" Heritage in the Eastern Mediterranean: Embracing Classical and Islamic Cultural Co-presences and Simultaneous Histories at the Parthenon and Ayasofya – Lylaah L. Bhalerao; 11. Queer Time, Crip Time, Woman Time, Sick Time, Sleepy Time, Muslim Time… Remaking Temporality Beyond "the Classical" – Marchella Ward; Critical Approaches; 12. A Loss of Faith Brings Vertigo: Icarus, Black and Queer Embodiment and the Failure of the West – Patrice Rankine; 13. Critical Reception Studies: The White Feminism of Feminist Reception Scholarship – Holly Ranger; 14. The Anti-radical Classicism of Karl Marx’s Dissertation – Kiran Pizarro Mansukhani; Afterword(s); In the Jaws of CAWS: A Response – Dan-el Padilla Peralta.

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Book SynopsisThis book explores contemporary American true crime narratives across various media formats. It dissects the popularity of true crime and the effects, both positive and negative, this popularity has on perceptions of crime and the justice system in contemporary America. As a collection of new scholarship on the development, scope, and character of true crime in twenty-first century American media, analyses stretch across film, streaming/broadcast TV, podcasts, and novels to explore the variety of ways true crime pervades modern culture. The reader is guided through a series of interconnected topics, starting with an examination of the contemporary success of true crime, the platforms involved, the narrative structures and engagement with audiences, moving on to debates on representation and the ethics involved in portraying both victims and perpetrators of crime within the genre. This collection provides new critical work on American true crime media for Table of ContentsNotes on ContributorsAcknowledgementsIntroduction1. Beyond Entertainment: Podcasting and the Criminal Justice Reform "Niche"2. Chasing the Truth: Making a Murderer, Historical Narrativity and the Global Netflix Event3. True Crime Adaptations and the Many Faces of the Atlanta Monster4. True Crime, True Representation? Race and Injustice Narratives in Wrongful Conviction Podcasts5. Unresolved - Narrative Strategies in an Unsolved True Crime: Depictions of the JonBenét Ramsey Killing6. Breaking Silences, or Perpetuating Myths: Images of Mafia Violence in True Crime Documentary7. 'Exquisitely Criminal Production Music’: Television, Ethics and the Sound of True Crime8. Barthes's "Grand Project" and the Negative Capability of Contemporary True Crime: On Errol Morris’s A Wilderness of Error9. My Friend Dahmer: A Graphic‐Narrative Search for the Origins of Evil10. Forensic Fandom: True Crime, Citizen Investigation and Social Media11. "What Else Can I Add?": Inverting the Narrative through Female Perspectives in Falling for A Killer, My Favorite Murder, and Murder, Mystery & MakeUp.

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Book SynopsisBringing together critical race, queer and decolonial analytical approaches, visual analysis, and multimodal discourse analysis, this book explores the discursive strategies deployed by African luxury brands in an age of cross-platform, intertextual branding.Building on literature examining the aesthetics and politics of African luxury, this book demonstrates how leading African luxury brands create visual material speaking to complex sensibilities of culture, nature, and future. Iqani shows how powerful brand narratives and strategies reveal ethical and ideological messages that function to re-position Africa in an increasingly congested global marketplace of ideas. In acknowledging that there is a strong political validity to recognizing the importance of African brands staking their claim in luxury, this book also problematizes the role these brands play in the promotion of luxury discourses, advancing the project of capitalism and their contribution to broader patterns of

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a thorough examination of digital work by women comedians in the US, exploring their use of digital media to perform jokes, engage with fans, remake their reputations, and become political activists. This book argues that despite its many adverse effects, digital work is changing comedy, empowering women to create new comic forms and negotiate the contentious political climate incited by former President Donald. J. Trump. Chapters are focused on video podcasting, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and the streaming platform Netflix each containing informative case studies on significant women comedians who use them, including Sarah Silverman, Amy Schumer, Leslie Jones, Mindy Kaling, Colleen Ballinger, Lilly Singh, Ms. Pat, Whitney Cummings, Issa Rae, and others. To understand their strategies, this book examines the popularity of their digital content, their career outcomes in television and film, as well as the ups and downs of their critical reputations Table of Contents1. Advantages and Adverse Effects: How Digital Work Empowers Women Comedians in Trump’s America 2. Women Comedians’ Video Podcasting on YouTube: How Complex Authenticity Cultivates Fans 3. Women Comedians Trapped on TikTok: The Opportunities and Limitations of Cringey, Intersectional Comedy 4. Witty Women on Twitter: Collaborative Reputation Making, Anti-Fandom, and Harnessing the Trolls 5.Conformity with Comic Subversion: How Women Comedians Shape their Reputations using Instagram 6.Women Comedians’ Working Practices on YouTube: The Sometimes-Difficult Transition to Television 7. Netflix’s Calculated Risks in Comedy: Unlikely Women’s First Stand-up Specials 8. Trump’s War with Women Satirists on Television: How Carnivalesque Comedy Generates Digital Redistribution 9. Participatory Audiences in Trump’s Cancel Culture: How Women Comedian-Activists Survive and Earn Prestige 10. Conclusions

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Book SynopsisThe fifth edition of this pioneering textbook takes video game studies into the next decade, highlighting changes in mobile, social, and casual gaming.This book introduces students to both the major theories used to analyze games, such as ludology and narratology, and the commercial and organizational aspects of the game industry. Drawing from historical and contemporary examples, this student-friendly text also explores the aesthetics of games, evaluates the cultural position of video games, and considers the potential effects of both violent and serious games. This new edition includes updates to the history, statistics, and developments in the vast game studies landscape throughout. The book has been expanded with additional theory, research, and insights from scholars around the world, making it more inclusive and broadening its global perspective.Extensively illustrated and featuring discussion questions, a glossary of key terms, and a detailed video game history

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Book SynopsisThe Language of Food: Through the Lens of East Asian Films and Drama invites readers into the fascinating world where food culture and language intersect, revealing how each dish communicates beyond mere taste.Through East Asian films and television shows, this book uncovers the rich tapestry of 'food languages' embedded within East Asian cultures. Divided into three parts â Base, Ingredients, and Seasoning â this book provides a structured exploration of this phenomenon. The Base section offers philosophical and historical context, while the Ingredients section delves deeper into specific themes, using examples from film and television drama to illustrate the nuanced communication inherent in food culture. Finally, the book is 'seasoned' with linguistic insights and a practical food words glossary, aiding readers in navigating the intricate verbal and cultural nuances at play. This illuminating resource goes beyond the realm of food itself, offering a profound underst

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Book SynopsisDisney Theme Parks and America's National Narratives takes a public history approach to situating the physical spaces of the Disney brand within memory and identity studies. For over 65 years, Disney's theme parks have been important locations for the formation and negotiation of the collective memory of the American narrative. Disney's success as one of America's most prolific storytellers, its rise as a symbol of America itself, and its creation of theme parks that immerse visitors in three-dimensional versions of certain American values and historic myths have both echoed and shaped the way the American people see themselves. Like all versions of the American narrative, Disney's vision serves to reassure us, affirm our shared values, and unite a diverse group of people under a distinctly American identityor at least, it did. The book shows how the status Disney obtained led the public to use them both as touchstones of identity and as spaces to influence the Table of ContentsPart 1: Establishing Disney Parks as Sites of American Identity 1. Disney and American Folklore: Disney tells American History 2. Disney Diplomacy and Morale: Disney Symbolizes America 3. Disneyland and Walt Disney World: Experiencing "History" and "Identity" at Disney Parks 4. Mickey Mouse/White House: Celebrating American Identity at Disney Parks Part 2: Negotiating American Identity at the Disney Parks 5. Protest at the Parks: Changing America Via Disney 6. Retheming: Visualizing a Changing America at Disney Parks 6. Conclusion: A New Understanding of "Disneyfication"

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Book SynopsisThis handbook provides a comprehensive overview and holistic analysis of the intersection between tourism and popular culture. It examines current debates, questions and controversies of tourism in the wake of popular culture phenomena and explores the relationships between popular culture, globalization, tourism and mobility. In addition, it offers a cross-disciplinary, cutting edge review of the character of popular cultural production and consumption trends, analyzing their consequences for tourism, spatial strategies and destination competitiveness. The scope of the volume encompasses various expressions of popular culture such as cinema, TV shows, music, literature, sports and heritage. Featuring a mix of theoretical and empirical chapters, the handbook problematizes and conceptualizes the ties and clusters of popular cultural actors, thereby positioning tourism within the wider context of creative economies, cultural planning and multimodal technologies. Written Trade Review‘The Routledge Handbook of Popular Culture and Tourism takes an interdisciplinary and global view of the growing phenomenon of fan tourism, alternating and integrating lenses ranging from economics to politics, geography to identity, media studies to leisure studies. Each essay takes the reader along on a journey to many corners of the world, to discover the various expressions of popular culture that inspire our fascination and our passions.’ Lynn Zubernis, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, USA‘Paying particular attention to media/sports/music fandom, along with varied definitions of popular culture, Christine Lundberg and Vassilios Ziakas have collected together a host of important, innovative studies. Whether defining videogame tourism, analysing the fan-as-flâneur, or developing work on royal tourism, this Handbook offers a timely, authoritative, and international guide to the (academic) journeys and (synontological) destinations that are generated across contemporary pop culture.’ Matt Hills, University of Huddersfield, UKTable of ContentsIntroduction Part 1 Setting the Stage: Foundations of Popular Culture Tourism 1. What is Popular Culture? 2. Tourism and Popular Culture: Socio-cultural Considerations. 3. Synontological Spaces. 4. Apocalypto and the End of Days: Basking in the Maya’s Shadow. 5. The Commodification of Narco-violence through Popular Culture and Tourism in Medellin, Colombia. Part 2 Broadening the Scope: Popular Culture Tourism Expressions 6. Popular Culture Tourism: Films and Tourist Demand. 7. Film Tourism in the Golden Age of Television. 8. Imagining the Medieval in the Modern World: Film, Fantasy and Heritage. 9. Tuning in – Setting the Scene for Music Tourism. 10. Fado as a Popular Culture Expression in the Context of a Tourist City. 11. Transactional Bodies: Dance, Tourism, and Idea(l)s of Cubanness. 12. The Voyeur at Leisure: Flânerie in a Miniature city – The Urban Phenomena of Madurodam. 13. Technology Adoption and Popular Culture Sport Tourism. 14. Hunters, Climbers, Flâneurs: How Video Games Create and Design Tourism. 15. The Peculiar Attraction of Royalty for Tourism and the Popular Culture Construction of ‘Royal Tourism’. 16. Sun, Surf, Sex, and the Everyday: Subverting the Tourist Gaze with Gold Coast Narrative Fiction. 17. Fandom and its Afterlife: Celebrity Cemetery Tourism. Part 3 Performing Fan Cultures: Popular Culture Tourism Fandoms 18. Passing Through: Popular Media Tourism, Pilgrimage, and Narratives of Being a Fan. 19. A Thai Star’s Appeal to Chinese Fans and its Impact on Thailand Popular Culture Tourism. 20. On the Road —Again: Revisiting Pop Music Concert Tourism. 21. Music Fans as Tourists: The Mysterious Ways of Individual and Social Dimensions. 22. "There Were Only Friendly People and Love in the Air": Fans, Tourism and the Eurovision Song Contest. 23.The (Promotional) Value of Public-Spiritedness: Irish Football Fans at Euro 2016. Part 4 Getting on the Map: Popular Culture Tourism and Place-making 24. #LiteraryMe: The Legacy of the Bloomsbury Group on London’s Literary Village. 25. "I Went to India to Find Myself": Tracing World Cinema’s Neoliberal Orientalisms. 26. The Force Meets the Kittiwake: Shooting Star Wars on Skellig Michael. 27. The Narrative Capital of the Place: How the Millennium Narratives Generate Place-related Values and Attract Tourists to Sweden. 28. A ‘Touristed Landscape’: Speculations about ‘Consuming History’, Using a Case Study of an Australian Folk Hero. 29. Spain as the Scenery of Mass Tourism Phenomena – Between Elite Tourism and Popular Culture Tourism: The Image of the Country through Cinema and Photography. 30. Playing at Home: Popular Culture Tourism and Place-making in Japan. 31. Travelling to Icons or Icons on Travel: Displacement and Representation of Places in Movies. 32. The Indianization of Switzerland: Destination Transformations in the Wake of Bollywood Films. Part 5 Establishing a Common Ground: Popular Culture Tourism and Destination Management 33. Film Tourism Stakeholders and Impacts. 34. Film Tourism Collaborations: A critical Analysis of INTERREG Destination Development Projects. 35. Growing Competition for Screen Tourists Activates New Destination Marketing Tactics. 36. (G)A(i)ming at the Throne: Social Media and the Use of Visitor-Generated Content in Destination Marketing. 37. The Influence of Culinary Movies as a Popular Culture Tourism Phenomenon in Shoot Destinations. 38. Visitor Experiences of Popular Culture Museums in Islands: A Management and Policy Approach. 39. Lifestyle Tourism: Combining Place Attachment and Involvement in a Destination Management Approach. 40. Destination Development in the Wake of Popular Culture Tourism: Proposing a Comprehensive Analytic Framework. Conclusion: Building a Research Agenda for Popular Culture Tourism

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Book SynopsisStanislavsky and Race is the first book to explore the role that Konstantin Stanislavsky's system and its legacies can play in building, troubling and illuminating today's anti-racist theatre practices.This collection of essays from leading figures in the field of actor training stands not only as a resource for a new area of academic enquiry, but also for students, actors, directors, teachers and academics who are engaged in making inclusive contemporary theatre. In seeking to dismantle the dogma that surrounds much actor training and replace it with a culturally competent approach that will benefit our entire community, the system is approached from a range of perspectives featuring the research, reflections and provocations of 20 different international artists interrogating Stanislavsky's approach through the lens of race, place and identity.Stanislavsky and is a series of multi-perspectival collections that bring the enduring legacy of StanislavTable of Contents1. Re/Gaining Trust: The "System" and the System of Actor TrainingSylvan Baker, Zuri Eshun and James PalmA Reflection on Re/Gaining Trust: Revelation and ResponsibilityJoe Wilson, Jr2. Black British Perspectives, Pedagogy and Power: Addressing the Canon through S.P.H.E.R.E.Gemma Crooks and Erica Jeffrey3. Logunedé in Salem: Making Sense of Stanislavsky’s Last Experiments in Contemporary Brazil Diego Moschkovich 4. Emotion Memory versus Physical Action: Towards Anti-racist Pedagogies that Make Way for Critical PraxisEvi Stamatiou5. Breaking Away: Latinidad and Moving Beyond the "System"Marissa Chibás, Michelle Jasso and Tlaloc Rivas with Siiri ScottA Reflection on Breaking Away: Looking through All Kinds of Windows Sandra Marquez6. A Jewish Journey: Stanislavsky’s "System" to the American MethodConrad Cohen7. The Intracultural Project: Creating an Inclusive Rehearsal Room Beyond StanislavskyKristine Landon-Smith and Dominic HingoraniA Reflection on The Intracultural Project: Mabuhay as an Act of ResistanceJames Cooney 8. Stanislavsky, Rose McClendon and Reparations: Whiteness, Professionalization and Reframing Amateurism in the Theater of the United StatesAmy Steiger9. I Ain’t Studyin’ Stanislavsky: We Are the Key to Reimagining 21st-Century Actor Training Monica White Ndounou

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Book SynopsisDrawing on urban and community resilience literature, Urban Preppers and the Pandemic in New York City: Class, Resilience and Sheltering in Place offers a detailed qualitative analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on New York City and on the philosophy and practices of the city's urban prepper subculture.With a special focus on the height of the pandemic in New York, this book considers the city's unique position as the pandemic's first epicenter in the United States. It also explores the lived experience of enduring the pandemic as reflections of class division, considering key themes, including the exodus of the wealthy, sheltering in place for the middle class, the inability to leave high-risk neighborhoods for the poor, and sheltering-in-place practices and community resilience efforts by New York preppers. It analyzes the importance of good government and an engaged citizenry in developing an agenda for the city's continued recovery and its future, under

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Book SynopsisThis textbook considers the critical relationship between gender, race, and class and the political economy of media, providing an accessible introduction for students.Carolyn M. Byerly integrates gender, race, and class analysis in posing an intersectional political economy (IPE) of media theory, and demonstrates how that theory applies in examining communication laws, policies, technology, and other aspects of media today. By synthesizing feminist and critical race theories with more traditional class analysis, this book offers a unified approach to examining the media. Individual chapters delve into communication policy, ownership, governance, labor, and technology issues, with a concluding chapter that explores future research. The book situates citizen challenges to the media's control by a small power elite within a dialectic of struggle and highlights specific campaigns that have pursued successful policy and media reform. Several short case studies by other authors il

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Book SynopsisThe Psychosis of Race offers a unique and detailed account of the psychoanalytic significance of race, and the ongoing impact of racism in contemporary society.Moving beyond the well-trodden assertion that race is a social construction, and working against demands that simply call for more representational equality, The Psychosis of Race explores how the delusions, anxieties, and paranoia that frame our race relations can afford new insights into how we see, think, and understand race's pervasive appeal. With examples drawn from politics and popular culturesuch as Candyman, Get Out, and the music of Kendrick Lamarcritical attention is given to introducing, as well as explicating on, several key concepts from Lacanian psychoanalysis and the study of psychosis, including foreclosure, the phallus, Name-of-the-Father, sinthome, and the objet petit a. By elaborating a cultural mode to psychosis and its understanding, an original and critical exTrade Review'The Psychosis of Race usefully intervenes upon contemporary theories of race and racism. By drawing attention to a psychotic structure that underlies the anxieties, delusions, and fantasies that spur racial violence in our present historical moment, this study takes Lacanian psychoanalysis in directions it has not fully explored.'Sheldon George, author of Trauma and Race: A Lacanian Study of Race'In arguing that our relationship to race is organized by the psychic structure of psychosis, Jack Black both aptly diagnoses our contemporary moment and puts forward an “ethical sensibility” for overcoming race and racism’s psychic hold. Specifically, through an accessible exposition of key Lacanian concepts and original analyses of popular cultural artifacts, The Psychosis of Race sets us on the path to forging creative and agentic possibilities for overcoming our attachment to race as a futile attempt to secure our place within an unreliable socio-symbolic field.'Jennifer Friedlander, author of Real Deceptions: The Contemporary Reinvention of Realism 'In this truly invigorating and critical analysis, Jack Black utilizes the vocabulary of terms developed by Jacques Lacan for the treatment and conceptualization of psychosis and applies them, in a distinctive cultural mode, to the psychical life of racialization, racism, and racial identity. In so doing, he moves us beyond the “post race” consensus and the shortcomings of equal representation as adequate responses to racist social structure. He highlights the distinctive analytical potential of thinking our psychical entanglements with race in terms that are uniquely illuminating.'Derek Hook, author of Six Moments in Lacan and co-editor of Lacan on Depression and MelancholiaTable of ContentsIntroduction Part I: Race is (not) a social construction 1. Interrogating the social construction of race 2. The non-sense of race 3. Racial extimacy Part II: Race and the structure of psychosis 4. Lacan and psychosis 5. The object a of race 6. Psychosis and lack: A nothing made something 7. Race and foreclosure 8. Psychosis and the Other 9. Paranoia and the racist fantasy Part III: Ethics, lack, and doubt 10. A space for politics 11. Beyond race? The radical temporality of creative doubt 12. Kendrick Lamar and the psychosis of race

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Book SynopsisThis book scrutinizes the relationship between contemporary TV shows and space, focusing on the ways in which these shows use and narrate specific spatial structures, namely, spaces far away from traditional metropolises.Beginning with the observation that many shows are set in specific spatial settings, referred to in the book as âœnonplace territoriesâ â e.g., North Jersey, New Mexico, or rural and suburban Western Germany â the author argues that the link between such nonplace territories and shows such as The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, or Dark is so intense because the narrative structure functions similarly to these territories: flat, decentralized, without any sense of structure or stable hierarchy. The book takes three different perspectives: first, it looks at the rationale for combining TV shows and nonplace territories from the viewpoint of narrative strategy. It then thinks through what these strategies mean for practicing architects. Finally, it approaches the arguments made before from a âœuserâ perspective: what does this narrative mirroring of social-spatial reality in places such as Albuquerque or Jersey City mean for people living in these places?This new approach to architecture and space on screen will interest scholars and students of television studies, screen architecture, media and architectural theory, and popular culture.

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Book SynopsisPacked tighter than Peter''s pants after a clam chowder binge with the funniest quotes and most mind-blowing facts from your favorite animated show, this book is your one-stop shop to the absurdly hilarious world of Family Guy. Winner of nine Emmy awards and highly-praised for its satirical take on American culture and societal issues, Family Guy continues to resonate with audiences of all ages and consistently ranks among the highest-rated animated series on television. Join Stewie, Brian, Lois, Meg, and the whole Griffin gang as they serve up laughs faster than you can say giggity. From Peter''s classic Freakin'' sweet! to Stewie''s diabolically witty zingers, we''ve got enough juicy quotes and trivia to make you spit out your Quahog clam chowder. Whether you''re a seasoned Quahogian or just discovering the joys of Family Guy, this book is a goldmine of quotable moments and irreverent, boundary-pushing humour that makes Family Guy the pop culture phenomenon that we can''t help but love.So grab your copy, crack open a cold Pawtucket Patriot Ale (or maybe just a root beer), and get ready to laugh, cringe, and quote along with the Griffins like never before. It''s gonna be freakin'' epic!I''m like a superhero, but without the super.- Peter Griffin.

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Book SynopsisThe digital age has brought significant changes to the cultural and creative industries, making it challenging to keep up with the latest trends. TheGuide to Digital Innovation in the Cultural and Creative Industryis an informative resource that can help you navigate the revolution. It not only provides a comprehensive understanding of how digital transformation affects existing industries but also outlines emerging business opportunities. Whether you're an experienced professional or a beginner, this book is an essential resource that will equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to succeed in the rapidly evolving landscape of the cultural and creative industries. Dive into: Democratizing creation: Discover how digital tools break down barriers and empower creators of all levels. From platforms to possibilities: Explore online video streaming, ebook publishing, virtual museums, and more, witnessing the rise of innovative

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Book SynopsisPopular Musicology and Identity paves new paths for studying popular music's entwinement with gender, sexuality, ethnicity, class, locality, and a range of other factors. The book consists of original essays in honour of Stan Hawkins, whose work has been a major influence on the musicological study of gender and identity since the early 1990s. In the new millennium, musicological approaches have proliferated and evolved alongside major shifts in the music industry and popular culture. Reflecting this plurality, the book reaches into a range of musical contexts, eras, and idioms to critically investigate the discursive structures that govern the processes through which music is mobilised as a focal point for negotiating and assessing identity. With contributions from leading scholars in the field, Popular Musicology and Identity accounts for the state of popular musicology at the onset of the 2020s while also offering a platform for the further advancement of the critTrade ReviewPopular Musicology and Identity attests to Stan Hawkins’s visionary approach in collaborating and bonding with today’s and tomorrow’s leading voices on matters popular. This volume is required reading for anyone interested in how gender, sexuality, class, and identity are expressed through – and manipulated by – popular music’s tools, artists, and audiences. Nina Eidsheim (UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music)Over the last 25 years Stan Hawkins' subtly subversive musicology has revealed a rich new pop world of sexual show-offs and dandies. This collection of essays is an affectionate and instructive exploration of that world, a celebration of the fluidity of the borderlands between art and entertainment, surface and depth, truth and invention, and the look and the sound of music. Simon Frith (University of Edinburgh)From nineteenth-century British music hall through Nordic cool to cultural celebrity in Canada, this is a fitting tribute to Stan Hawkins’s pioneering musicological imagination; linking pop sounds to the multiple identities and varied voices of its performers. It is a compelling compendium; evidence of Hawkins’s major contribution to Northern European and Transatlantic music scholarship.Keith Negus (Goldsmiths, University of London)Table of ContentsIntroduction: a musicology of popular music and identityKAI ARNE HANSEN, EIRIK ASKERØI, AND FREYA JARMAN1 The British dandy on the popular musical stage (1866–1915)DEREK B. SCOTT2 ‘She Said She Said’: the influence of feminine ‘voices’ on John Lennon’s music 32MATTHEW BANNISTER AND MEGAN ROGERSON-BERRY3 The classical closetSUSAN MCCLARY4 Perfect duet? Paradoxes of gender representation and mixedgender collaborations on the Billboard charts from 1955 to 2017BARBARA BRADBY5 The pleasure(s) of the pop text: subversion and theatricality in Cloroform and Tove LoJON MIKKEL BROCH ÅLVIK6 ‘Everyone is a little bit gay’: LGBTIQ activism in Finnish pop music of the 21st century SUSANNAVÄLIMÄKI7 ‘Keeping it real’, ‘Keeping it dandy’? Male blackness and the popular music mainstreamANNE DANIELSEN8 Global success, identitarian performance, and Canadian popular musicWILL STRAW9 ‘Very’ British: a pop musicological approach to the Pet Shop Boys’ ‘Always on My Mind’SHARA RAMBARRAN10 Pulp: a paradigm for perversion in pornosonic popKENNETH SMITH11 Regina Spektor’s Small Bill$: the cute and the manic-zany as body-political strategiesJOHN RICHARDSON AND ANNA-ELENA PÄÄKKÖLÄ12 Masculinity and the illness narrative in Pain of Salvation’s In the Passing Light of DayLORI BURNS

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Book SynopsisThis book illuminates the racialized nature of twenty-first century Western popular culture by exploring how discourses of race circulate in the Fantasy genre. It examines not only major texts in the genre, but also the impact of franchises, industry, editorial and authorial practices, and fan engagements on race and representation. Approaching Fantasy as a significant element of popular culture, it visits the struggles over race, racism, and white privilege that are enacted within creative works across media and the communities which revolve around them. While scholars of Science Fiction have explored the genreâs racialized constructs of possible futures, this book is the first examination of Fantasy to take up the topic of race in depth. The bookâs interdisciplinary approach, drawing on Literary, Cultural, Fan, and Whiteness Studies, offers a cultural history of the anxieties which haunt Western popular culture in a century eager to declare itself post-race. The beginnings of the Table of ContentsIntroduction: Re-thinking Genre, Thinking About Race 1. Founding Fantasy: J. R. R. Tolkien and Robert E. Howard 2. Forming Habits: Derivation, Imitation, and Adaptation 3. The Real Middle Ages: Gritty Fantasy 4. Orcs and Otherness: Monsters on Page and Screen 5. Popular Culture Postcolonialism 6. Relocating Roots: Urban Fantasy 7. Breaking Habits and Digital Communication Afterword

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Book SynopsisAre celebrity politics the spice of American public life or a pox on policy progress? This book identifies and measures the attributes of celebrities that make them well-equipped to win campaigns and yet poorly prepared to govern effectively. The framers of the U.S. Constitution worried about the propensity of an undereducated public to elect unqualified entertainers rather than fit characters to government positions. Celebrities have come to play an increasingly central role in the American political process as fundraisers, surrogates, and as candidates themselves, yet remain a sorely understudied topic in political science. Through a multimethod approach that includes qualitative analysis, novel public opinion surveys, and survey experiments, this book assesses whether Americans are more likely to vote for celebrities than well-known traditional politicians and the implications of these preferences for democracy in the U.S. Perfect for students, scholars, and interested citizens, Trade Review"Lauren Wright has written a timely and important book. A reality game show host is in the Oval Office amid speculation of other glitterati considering a challenge. Wright raises the critical question of whether the skills of celebrities have any relevance to those required for political leadership and governance. A Princeton University lecturer, she combines the rigorous research of an academic intellectual with a keen understanding of practical politics gleaned from her participation and earlier writings. This is must reading for anyone interested in political leadership today." - Albert R. Hunt, former Washington Bureau Chief and Executive Editor of The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News "It was perhaps inevitable that in a culture as obsessed with celebrity as ours, we would someday end up with one in the White House. Is Donald Trump an aberration and a corrective, or a sign of things to come? Lauren Wright explores how the world of politics and celebrity have become so intertwined, and where this may be taking us." - Karen Tumulty, Columnist, The Washington Post"Lauren Wright has written the opening salvo to the age of celebrity politics. Set within a historic framework, her study combines her own research, scholarly literature, and astute analysis to warn Americans of the very dangers the framers feared when they created the US Constitution: demagoguery, ill-informed decision making, and self-interested, autocratic rule. Who's to blame and what do we do about It? Read Wright's innovative, well written and thought-provoking book to find out." - Stephen J. Wayne, Georgetown University"Donald Trump wasn’t the first celebrity to win an election, and he won’t be the last. Lauren Wright helps explain why celebrities run for office and why many voters will support them. Her conclusion is a troubling one: Celebrities have the tools to entertain voters, but not the tools to govern effectively. This is a timely and important book." - John Sides, George Washington UniversityTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments 1. A Short History of a Longstanding Obsession 2. In Their Own Words: Why Celebrities Run 3. Celebrities, They’re Not Like Us 4. Do Voters Prefer Celebrity Candidates to Politicians? 5. The Death of U.S.? Appendix Index

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Book SynopsisWhat began with Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' landmark graphic novel, Watchmen (1987) is no longer a single story, but rather a cross-platform, multi-media franchise, including a role-playing game and video game, a motion comic, a Zack Snyder movie, and a series of comic book prequels and sequels, as well as a prestige HBO TV series. Will Brooker explores the way that Watchmen expanded over time from the mid-1980s to the present day, drawing on theories of adaptation, intertextuality and deconstruction to argue that each addition subtly changes our understanding of the original. Does it matter whether these adaptations are faithful'? Can they ever be, as they cross over into another medium? How does each version enter a dialogue with the others? And as Damon Lindelof's series ran parallel to an entirely distinct comic book Watchmen sequel, Doomsday Clock, how do readers and viewers make sense of these conflicting narratives? Can we relate the unstable, shiftTrade ReviewAlthough there has certainly been a great deal of critical ink spilled fawning over Watchmen over the years, Brooker broadens our understanding of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ landmark series by examining the network of texts that contribute to the Watchmen matrix, revealing new insights, inspirations and intertexts that expose the beating heart that pumps through the veins and capillaries of one of the most feted and celebrated texts of Western popular culture. It is, quite simply, the best book I’ve encountered on the topic. -- William Proctor, Bournemouth University, UKA masterful study of all-things-Watchmen, from Moore and Gibbons’s original tale to its sequels, prequels, adaptations and parodies. From comics to cinema to television to games and beyond, Brooker’s expert insights guide us through the enduring relevance of Watchmen across eras, platforms and media. -- Blair Davis, DePaul University, USATable of ContentsIntroduction 1.1986-1988: Watchmen the Graphic Novel and the Role-playing Game 2.2008-2009: Watchmen the Motion Comic, the Movie and the Video Game 3.2012-2015: Before Watchmen and Pax Americana 4.2017-2019: Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt, Doomsday Clock and HBO’s Watchmen Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisDrawing on a wide range of archival sources, Andrew Shail traces the emergence of film stardom in Europe and North America in the early 20th century. Modifying and supplementing Richard deCordova's account of the birth of the US star system, Shail describes the complex set of economic circumstances that led film studios and actors to consent to the adoption of a star system. He then explores the film industry's turn, from 1908, to making character-based series films. He details how these characters both prefigured and precipitated the star system, demonstrating that series characters and the firmament' of film stars are functionally equivalent, and shows how openly fictional characters still provide the model for real' film stars.Trade ReviewThe Origins of the Film Star System includes an impressive bibliography and reproductions of rarely seen publicity photographs and posters … Shail's book stands as a monumental achievement, demonstrating the dynamism of historiography while arguing for the necessity of looking beyond American modes and machinations of the early star system. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. * CHOICE *Shail has provided a fresh account of the emergence of the star system, impressively systematic in its argumentation, that could easily become the new standard for the next thirty years. -- Charlie Keil, University of Toronto, CanadaTable of ContentsIntroduction Part I: A New Run at the Story Chapter 1: Europe Chapter 2: North America Chapter 3: What Happened Next? Chapter 4: Causality Part II: Another Run at the Story Chapter 5: The Series Character Chapter 6: The Series Character and the Star System Chapter 7: The Ontology of Film Stardom Conclusion Works Cited

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Book SynopsisExplores the influence of the graphic user interface on contemporary screen mediaTrade Review"With sparkling prose, Nick Jones provides a multi-plane illumination of graphic user interfaces their provenance, aesthetics, inter-medial connections, and how they shape experience, imagination, and creative labour. Gooey Media should be essential reading for anyone seeking to understand this key layer of our screen lives, and its aesthetic links across our media ecology." -Lisa Bode, The University of Queensland

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Book SynopsisWhether you are drawn to the psychological belief in Aliens, the history of our interest in life on other planets, or the scientific possibility of Alien existence, Alien Universe is sure to hold you spellbound.Trade ReviewRather than dismiss Alien life out of hand, he presents the historical and social reasons for the growth of our fascination with the possibility. After covering popular ideas, Lincoln then delves into what is scientifically possible, explaining the concepts beautifully and in layman's terms... This is a clear and clear-sighted look at Aliens by a man who would be delighted if one day they appeared. Publishers Weekly I immediately warmed to this book. It's not only written in terms the average lay person can understand but it follows a well structured theme that has a start, middle, and an end. I like that because it maintains order in a subject that deals mainly with a mix of confusing ideologies, fact and scientifically based interpretations. David Reneke's World of Space and Astronomy By combining the latest research with historical perception, Alien Universe successfully creates an outstanding inquiry highly recommended for any science-based collection looking for a blend of historical references and modern-day probes. Midwest Book Review The book is a level-headed fusion of pop culture and the latest scientific advances in the field of astrobiology, discussing the requirements for life on Earth. BBC Focus This book comes close to being the definitive guide to where we are in the search for extraterrestrials. CosmosTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsPROLOGUE1. BEGINNINGS2. ENCOUNTERS3. FICTIONS4. BLOCKBUSTERSInterlude5. LIFE-FORMS6. ELEMENTS7. NEIGHBORSEPILOGUESuggested ReadingIndex

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Book SynopsisA unique exploration of how mental illness is portrayed in classic and contemporary films. The study of classic and contemporary films can provide a powerful avenue to understand the experience of mental illness. In Madness at the Movies, James Charney, MD, a practicing psychiatrist and long-time cinephile, examines films that delve deeply into characters' inner worlds, and he analyzes moments that help define their particular mental illness. Based on the highly popular course that Charney taught at Yale University and the American University of Rome, Madness at the Movies introduces readers to films that may be new to them and encourages them to view these films in an entirely new way. Through films such as Psycho, Taxi Driver, Through a Glass Darkly, Night of the Hunter, A Woman Under the Influence, Ordinary People, and As Good As It Gets, Charney covers an array of disorders, including psychosis, paranoia, psychopathy, depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, a

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Book SynopsisOffers both a production history and a close analysis, with a chapter for each of the film''s eleven shots.The first book-length study in English of Alfred Hitchcock''s Rope (1948), Perpetual Movement offers both a production history that draws extensively upon little-known archival materials, including set drawings and drafts of the screenplay, and a close examination of the film in which Neil Badmington analyzes each of Rope''s eleven shots. Writing in an accessible and engaging style, Badmington explores the film''s treatment of space, sound, editing, sexuality, source material, design, intertexuality, narrative, and music. He looks at Hitchcock''s struggle with censorship while planning, shooting, and distributing the film. Perpetual Movement also addresses Rope''s reception and legacy, explaining why the film''s unusual qualities provide such lasting appeal for viewers.

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Book SynopsisA detailed history of the rise, fall and rise again of Progressive Rock, from its beginnings in the 60s to the vibrant contemporary scene in the new millennium. Completely Revised and updated for 2013Trade Review"An excellent read" * PROG MAGAZINE *"Heartily recommended" * FIREWORKS MAGAZINE *"A fascinating work" * ROCK SOCIETY *

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisA groundbreaking manifesto from journalist Gretchen Carlson about how women can protect themselves from sexual harassment in the workplace and reclaim their power against abuse or injustice.In BE FIERCE, Gretchen shares her own experiences, as well as powerful and moving stories from women in many different careers and fields who decided they too weren''t ready to shut up and sit down. Gretchen became a voice for the voiceless.In this revealing and timely book, Gretchen shares her views on what women can do to empower and protect themselves in the workplace or on a college campus, what to say when someone makes suggestive remarks, how an employer''s Human Resources department may not always be your friend, and how forced arbitration clauses in work contracts often serve to protect companies rather than employees. Her groundbreaking message encourages women to stand up and speak up in every aspect of their lives. Gretchen also discusses w

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Book SynopsisWinner, 2021 NACCS Book Award, given by the National Association for Chicano and Chicana StudiesExplores the how, why, and what of contemporary Chicanx culture, including punk rock, literary fiction, photography, mass graves, and digital and experimental installation artRacial Immanence attempts to unravel a Gordian knot at the center of the study of race and discourse: it seeks to loosen the constraints that the politics of racial representation put on interpretive methods and on our understanding of race itself. Marissa K. López argues that reading Chicanx literary and cultural texts primarily for the ways they represent Chicanxness only reinscribes the very racial logic that such texts ostensibly set out to undo. Racial Immanence proposes to read differently; instead of focusing on representation, it asks what Chicanx texts do, what they produce in the world, and specifically how they produce access to the ineffable but material experience of race. Intrigued by the attention to diTrade Review"López staunchly debunks the idea that Chicanx identity can be thoroughly known or interpreted. Rather, she demonstrates why literature for and by people of color matters: they eschew the neoliberal argument for multicultural representation, instead questioning structural violence, shared precarity, and human imbrication within the more-than-human world. This is a bold, refreshing book that demonstrates the urgency and importance of Chicanx literature while simultaneously challenging the reasons why we read it." -- Julie A. Minich, author of Accessible Citizenships: Disability, Nation, and the Cultural Politics of Greater Mexico "Racial Immanence sets out to tackle a seemingly intractable problem for the study of race and literature: the constraints that racial representation puts on both interpretive methods and our understanding of race itself . In expanding our horizon of Chicanx cultural production beyond literary works to such objects as the Aztec “sun stone,” contemporary art photography, and Latinx punk music , López proposes a new way to read this body of work, asking what Chicanx texts do, what they produce in the world, and how they access the ineffable yet material experience of race. An urgent and necessary book." -- John Alba Cutler, author of Ends of Assimilation: The Formation of Chicano Literature"López advocates for reconsidering space and time through reading and writing in order to reimagine the social and to create a place of radical hope." * Choice *

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Book SynopsisA compelling explanation of the American public's acceptance of LGBT freedoms through the lens of pop cultureHow did gay people go from being characterized as dangerous perverts to military heroes and respectable parents? How did the interests of the LGBT movement and the state converge to transform mainstream political and legal norms in these areas?Using civil rights narratives, pop culture, and critical theory, LGBT Inclusion in American Life tells the story of how exclusion was transformed into inclusion in US politics and society, as pop culture changed mainstream Americans thinking about non-gay issues, namely privacy, sex and gender norms, and family. Susan Burgess explores films such as Casablanca, various James Bond movies, and Julie and Julia, and television shows such as thirtysomething and The Americans, as well as the Broadway sensation Hamilton, as sources of growing popular support for LGBT rights. By drawinTrade Review"A fascinating and path-breaking account of how pop culture reflected and produced the dramatic sea-change in American attitudes and policy towards LBGTQ+ persons. A rare combination of sophisticated theory and page-turning writing. A book you can assign in class and take to the beach." * Mark A. Graber, author of A New Introduction to American Constitutionalism *"This dazzling volume explains the recent trajectory of LGBT inclusion in American law, politics, and institutions through pop culture. By ‘queering political time,’ Susan Burgess builds a satisfying, nuanced explanation for the successes and failures of LGBT politics. Her work helps us to acknowledge fully the current dangerous resistance to LGBT rights and inclusion, but ultimately issues a compelling—and kind—invitation to imagine and build a just, inclusive, and democratic future. The hopeful book we need now!" * Julie Novkov, author of Racial Union: Law, Intimacy, and the White State in Alabama, 1865-1954 *"Burgess brilliantly integrates analysis of popular cultural narratives with traditional theories of progressive social change to explain how LGBT rights and liberties came to be accepted in mainstream politics. The book offers creative, often surprising, and always edifying interpretations of movies, television series, musicals, and other manifestations of pop culture to develop her argument. All in all, Burgess once again demonstrates that she is one of the most astute and provocative contemporary analysts of American political culture. Highly recommended!" * Michael McCann, co-author of Union by Law: Filipino American Labor Activists, Rights Radicalism, and Racial Capitalism *"The exchange of influence between pop culture and American politics flows in both directions, and sometimes becomes knotted in complex ways.... The book is a kind of gauntlet thrown down before the author’s colleagues, challenging them to think outside the ballot box." -- Scott McLemee * Inside Higher Ed *"Although Burgess uses ‘pop culture to better understand political transformation’ (p.21), she accomplishes much more. She brings insights from queer theory and critical race studies—notions of nonlinear time and of pop culture as both sources of challenge and tools of status quo reinforcement—to bear on key concepts of American political development, including political time and cyclical patterns of political change." * Perspectives on Politics *

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Book SynopsisA compelling explanation of the American public's acceptance of LGBT freedoms through the lens of pop cultureHow did gay people go from being characterized as dangerous perverts to military heroes and respectable parents? How did the interests of the LGBT movement and the state converge to transform mainstream political and legal norms in these areas?Using civil rights narratives, pop culture, and critical theory, LGBT Inclusion in American Life tells the story of how exclusion was transformed into inclusion in US politics and society, as pop culture changed mainstream Americans thinking about non-gay issues, namely privacy, sex and gender norms, and family. Susan Burgess explores films such as Casablanca, various James Bond movies, and Julie and Julia, and television shows such as thirtysomething and The Americans, as well as the Broadway sensation Hamilton, as sources of growing popular support for LGBT rights. By drawinTrade Review"A fascinating and path-breaking account of how pop culture reflected and produced the dramatic sea-change in American attitudes and policy towards LBGTQ+ persons. A rare combination of sophisticated theory and page-turning writing. A book you can assign in class and take to the beach." * Mark A. Graber, author of A New Introduction to American Constitutionalism *"This dazzling volume explains the recent trajectory of LGBT inclusion in American law, politics, and institutions through pop culture. By ‘queering political time,’ Susan Burgess builds a satisfying, nuanced explanation for the successes and failures of LGBT politics. Her work helps us to acknowledge fully the current dangerous resistance to LGBT rights and inclusion, but ultimately issues a compelling—and kind—invitation to imagine and build a just, inclusive, and democratic future. The hopeful book we need now!" * Julie Novkov, author of Racial Union: Law, Intimacy, and the White State in Alabama, 1865-1954 *"Burgess brilliantly integrates analysis of popular cultural narratives with traditional theories of progressive social change to explain how LGBT rights and liberties came to be accepted in mainstream politics. The book offers creative, often surprising, and always edifying interpretations of movies, television series, musicals, and other manifestations of pop culture to develop her argument. All in all, Burgess once again demonstrates that she is one of the most astute and provocative contemporary analysts of American political culture. Highly recommended!" * Michael McCann, co-author of Union by Law: Filipino American Labor Activists, Rights Radicalism, and Racial Capitalism *"The exchange of influence between pop culture and American politics flows in both directions, and sometimes becomes knotted in complex ways.... The book is a kind of gauntlet thrown down before the author’s colleagues, challenging them to think outside the ballot box." -- Scott McLemee * Inside Higher Ed *"Although Burgess uses ‘pop culture to better understand political transformation’ (p.21), she accomplishes much more. She brings insights from queer theory and critical race studies—notions of nonlinear time and of pop culture as both sources of challenge and tools of status quo reinforcement—to bear on key concepts of American political development, including political time and cyclical patterns of political change." * Perspectives on Politics *

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Book SynopsisA revealing look at the pleasure we get from hating figures like politicians, celebrities, and TV characters, showcased in approaches that explore snark, hate-watching, and trolling The work of a fan takes many forms: following a favorite celebrity on Instagram, writing steamy fan fiction fantasies, attending meet-and-greets, and creating fan art as homages to adored characters. While fandom that manifests as feelings of like and love are commonly understood, examined less frequently are the equally intense, but opposite feelings of dislike and hatred. Disinterest. Disgust. Hate. This is anti-fandom. It is visible in many of the same spaces where you see fandom: in the long lines at ComicCon, in our politics, and in numerous online forums like Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, and the ever dreaded comments section. This is where fans and fandoms debate and discipline. This is where we love to hate. Anti-Fandom,a collection of 15 original and innovative essays, provides a fTrade ReviewTogether, the chapters in Anti-Fandom provide much of the groundwork needed to provide a framework for anti-fan theory, and anyone looking to jump into this emerging area of study will find this book both interesting and useful. * CBQ *

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Book SynopsisThe sacred ethos of the American Dream has become a central pillar of American civil religion. The belief that meaning is fashioned from some mixture of family, friends, a stable career, and financial security permeates American culture. Profane Parables examines three films that assault this venerated American myth.Trade ReviewRindge writes with both academic rigor and an approachable tone, which makes the text accessible for audiences in both academic circles and broader spheres, such as those interested in American civil religion, the particular filmmakers Rindge cites, or the biblical genre of parables. -- Joel Mayward -- Journal of Religion and FilmRindge's Profane Parables is an excellent work. It will appeal greatly to scholars of American Studies, film, religion, and popular culture. -- Margaret Weber -- Journal of Popular CultureA wonderful piece of work -- ChoiceAs a whole, Profane Parables is a refined work that offers both a thought provoking and an easy read and I would recommend it to anyone thinking of exploring film from the perspective of biblical studies or interested in film, myths and morals. -- Sofia Sjö -- Journal of Religion, Media, and Digital CutureTable of Contents Introduction 1. The American Dream: The Sacred Ethos of American Religion 2. Fight Club: Lamenting God's Abandonment and the American Dream 3. American Beauty: Death as Divine Beauty 4. About Schmidt: An American Rich Fool 5. Films as Parables of Disorientation Conclusion

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Book SynopsisAfter Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the surrounding region in 2005, the city debated whether to press on with Mardi Gras or cancel the parades. Ultimately, they decided to proceed. New Orleans's recovery certainly has resulted from a complex of factors, but the city's unique cultural life--perhaps its greatest capital--has been instrumental in bringing the city back from the brink of extinction.Voicing a civic fervor, local writer Chris Rose spoke for the importance of Carnival when he argued to carry on with the celebration of Mardi Gras following Katrina: 'We are still New Orleans. We are the soul of America. We embody the triumph of the human spirit. Hell, we ARE Mardi Gras.'Since 2006, a number of new Mardi Gras practices have gained prominence. The new parade organizations or krewes, as they are called, interpret and revise the city's Carnival traditions but bring innovative practices to Mardi Gras. The history of each parade reveals the

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Book SynopsisContributions by Jerold J. Abrams, José Alaniz, John Carey, Maurice Charney, Peter Coogan, Joe Cruz, Phillip Lamarr Cunningham, Stefan Danter, Adam Davidson-Harden, Randy Duncan, Stephen Graham Jones, Richard Hall, Richard Heldenfels, Alberto Hermida, Víctor Hernández-Santaolalla, A. G. Holdier, Tiffany Hong, Siegfried Kracauer, Naja Later, Ryan Litsey, Tara Lomax, Tony Magistrale, Matthew McEniry, Cait Mongrain, Grant Morrison, Robert Moses Peaslee, David D. Perlmutter, W. D. Phillips, Jared Poon, Duncan Prettyman, Vladimir Propp, Noriko T. Reider, Robin S. Rosenberg, Hannah Ryan, Lennart Soberon, J. Richard Stevens, Lars Stoltzfus-Brown, John N. Thompson, Dan Vena, and Robert G. WeinerThe Supervillain Reader, featuring both reprinted and original essays, reveals why we are so fascinated with the villain. The obsession with the villain is not a new phenomenon, and, in fact, one finds villains who are 'super' going as far back as ancient religious and myt

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Book SynopsisPop City examines the use of Korean television dramas and K-pop music to promote urban and rural places in South Korea. Building on the phenomenon of Korean pop culture, Youjeong Oh argues that pop culturefeatured place selling mediates two separate domains: political decentralization and the globalization of Korean popular culture.By analyzing the process of culture-featured place marketing, Pop City shows that urban spaces are produced and sold just like TV dramas and pop idols by promoting spectacular images rather than substantial physical and cultural qualities. Oh demonstrates how the speculative, image-based, and consumer-exploitive nature of popular culture shapes the commodification of urban space and ultimately argues that pop culturemediated place promotion entails the domination of urban space by capital in more sophisticated and fetishized ways.Trade ReviewPop City is a uniquely valuable text for celebrity and fan studies researchers... it distinguishes itself from mainstream scholarship on K-pop and the Korean Wave... Oh paints a compelling picture of the uneasy yet instrumental relationship of Korean popular culture to the municipalities—large and small—that gamble resources and political capital. * Cultural Sociology *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction PART I. THE SPECULATIVE PRODUCTION OF DRAMAS AND DRAMA SITES 1. Speculative Producers: The Production of Korean Drama 2. Spectacular Places: Drama-Filming Sites PART II. THE AFFECTIVE CONSUMPTION OF K-POP IDOLS AND PLACES 3. Image Producers: The (Re)Production of K-Pop Idols 4. K-Star Road: Making Gangnam into a K-Pop–Filled Place 5. Cosme Road: K-Beauty and the Globalization of Myeong-dong Conclusion Notes Reference List Index

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Book SynopsisA major work destined to change how scholars and students look at television and animation With the release of author Thomas Lamarre’s field-defining study The Anime Machine, critics established Lamarre as a leading voice in the field of Japanese animation. He now returns with The Anime Ecology, broadening his insights to give a complete account of anime’s relationship to television while placing it within important historical and global frameworks. Lamarre takes advantage of the overlaps between television, anime, and new media—from console games and video to iOS games and streaming—to show how animation helps us think through television in the contemporary moment. He offers remarkable close readings of individual anime while demonstrating how infrastructures and platforms have transformed anime into emergent media (such as social media and transmedia) and launched it worldwide. Thoughtful, thorough illustrations plus exhaustive research and an impressive scope make The Anime Ecology at once an essential reference book, a valuable resource for scholars, and a foundational textbook for students.Trade Review"The Anime Ecology is a path-breaking work of media philosophy whose influence will be felt for many years to come. In this wildly innovative book, Thomas Lamarre presents an enlarged concept of animation that entails a major theoretical revision of our understanding of the complexly interrelated genealogies of television, animation, and interactive gaming with respect to their media platforms, technologies, infrastructures, screen forms, and affective relations. What Lamarre describes as the ‘anime ecology’ is nothing less than the emergence of a new and distinctive mode of techno-sociality."—D. N. Rodowick, University of Chicago"By tracking the evolving modes of television animation across cultures as well as in modern Japan, Thomas Lamarre offers a painstaking account of the infrastructure complexes that constitute affective experiences in the age of non-discrete multimedia objects. Written with both a media specialist’s technical precision and a maverick theorist’s archival resourcefulness, this book compels us to rethink our relations with the electronic screens that cohabit intimately with us, body and soul. A brilliant work."—Rey Chow, author of Entanglements, or Transmedial Thinking about Capture"Infrastructures have a tendency to slide into the background, and after seven decades of television, it is hard to make it new and strange again. In his long-awaited book, Thomas Lamarre turns everything we think we knew about television upside down. Animation, not liveness, is the key to its ontology. Japan, not the USA, is the place to see its most radical development. Signals are not simply the raw materials of electrical engineering but the symptoms of our vulnerable existence in the world. Television turns out to be a strange and wonderful habitat, a meeting place of many species. In seeing media platforms as wormholes into alternate universes, The Anime Ecology fulfills the prime directive of media theory: to show that channels are not simply pipes but are worthy of existential dread, respect, and reverence. Steeped in both Japanese television and continental theory, this book is a kind of Japanese-French fusion, a delicious feast of insight. To write this book you would need to be a world-class media theorist, a long-time connoisseur of Japanese culture, and even a former marine biologist, and the one person on earth who is all of those things has brought the rest of us this gift."—John Durham Peters, author of The Marvelous Clouds: Toward a Philosophy of Elemental MediaTable of ContentsContentsIntroduction: Television Animation and Infrastructure EcologyPart I. The Screen–Brain Apparatus1. Population Seizure2. Neurosciences and Television3. This Stuff Called Blink4. A Thousand Tiny BlackoutsPart II. A Little Social Media History of Television5. Media Genealogy and Transmedia Ecology6. A Little History of Japanese Television7. Television and New Media8. Sociality or Something Like It9. Platformativity and OntopowerPart III. Infrastructure Complexes10. The Family Broadcast Complex11. The Home Theater Complex12. The Game Play Complex13. The Portable Interface ComplexConclusion: Signaletic AnimismNotesBibliography

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