Description
Book SynopsisThis book addresses the notorious split between the two fields of cultural studies and political economy. Drawing on the works of Harold Innis, Theodor Adorno, Raymond Williams, Richard Hoggart, E.P. Thompson, and other major theorists in the two fields, Robert E. Babe shows that political economy can be reconciled to certain aspects of cultural studies, particularly with regards to cultural materialism. Uniting the two fields has proven to be a complex undertaking though it makes practical sense, given the close interaction between political economy and cultural studies. Babe examines the evolution of cultural studies over time and its changing relationship with political economy. The intersections between the two fields center around three subjects: the cultural biases of money, the time/space dialectic, and the dialectic of information.
Trade ReviewRobert Babe has clearly established himself as the leading communications scholar in Canada, following in the venerated footsteps of Harold Innis, Marshall McLuhan, and Dallas Smythe. This book is an invaluable scholarly critique of American Cultural Studies/Poststructuralism. -- James Winter, professor of communication studies, University of Windsor
Babe offers a convincing, welcomed, and timely criticism of poststructuralism with its obsession with language far removed from a material context. -- David Berry, Southampton Solent University * The Fifth-Estate-Online *
As always, Babe unpacks the delicious debates and unexpected influences in the historiography of communication and cultural studies and in doing so provides provocative and prolific ideas for the reintegration of political economy and cultural studies. -- Leslie Regan Shade, associate professor of communication studies, Concordia University
Table of Contents1 Table of Contents Part 2 I. Geneologies Chapter 3 Introduction to Part I Chapter 4 1. Genealogy of Political Economy Chapter 5 2. Genealogy of Cultural Studies Chapter 6 3. The Colloquy Revisited Chapter 7 4. Genealogy of Poststructuralist Cultural Studies and the Political Economy of Media Scholarship Part 8 II. Portals for Dialogue Chapter 9 Introduction to Part II Chapter 10 5. Environment and Pecuniary Culture Chapter 11 6. Time and Space Chapter 12 7. Semiotics and the Dialectic of Information Chapter 13 8. Keeping the Portals Open: Poster vs. Innis Chapter 14 Conclusion 15 References 16 About the Author
