Description
Book SynopsisLilly J. Goren is Professor of Political Science and Global Studies at Carroll University, USA. She is the author of
You've Come a Long Way, Baby: Gender, Politics and Popular Culture (2010) and co-author of
Women and the White House: Gender, Popular Culture and Presidential Politics (winner of the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Susan Koppelman Award 2014).
Linda Beail is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Margaret Stevenson Center for Women's Studies at Point Loma Nazarene University, USA. She is co-author of
Framing Sarah Palin: Pit Bulls, Puritans, and Politics (2012).
Trade ReviewThe ten essays in
Mad Men and Politics offer a number of ruminations on the various ways in which the series dramatized the seismic socio-cultural shifts of that decade ... [The book provides] structured, rigorous textual analysis of themes, characters and plot lines. * Times Literary Supplement *
[This book] is bound by an overriding interest in disentangling the series’ many thematic and narrative strands through sociopolitical analysis ... The introduction (as Chapter One) neatly sets out a stall carrying concerns of American identity, social and political life, race, gender and class, and the theme of appearance and reality. * Critical Studies in Television *
As savvy and incisive as Mad Men itself,
Mad Men and Politics showcases excellent analyses of American political problems—including sexism, racism, inequality, consumption, and the meaning of America itself—from the 1960s to the present. Goren and Beail reveal Mad Men as a fascinating window into the underbelly of American politics, even while it provides viewers with the pleasures of glamour and nostalgia. * Elisabeth Anker, Assistant Professor of American Politics and Political Science, George Washington University, USA *
Few television shows deserve the hardcore, serious, academic approach as much as
Mad Men.
Mad Men and Politics is a worthy entry. With its diverse essays and authors, there's something for everyone.
Mad Men has "changed the conversation" about everything from fashion to sexism, and it's wonderful that
Mad Men and Politics has entered that conversation. * Deborah Lipp, Co-owner, Basket of Kisses *
Mad Men and Politics is further proof, as if it was needed, that the new breed of television series—and Matthew Weiner's creation in particular—does what great literature has always done: incite, delight, and provoke fascinating lines of inquiry in all directions. * Brett Martin, author of Difficult Men: Behind the Scenes of A Creative Revolution, From The Sopranos and The Wire to Mad Men and Breaking Bad *
These essays provide a series of smart takes on one of the most influential series in television history. The book shows how
Mad Men's exploration of America’s past provides an insight into what we are thinking today; and it deals boldly with the big issues of power, race, sex and ideas of masculinity and femininity. Reading it extends one's appreciate of the series. * Evangeline Morphos, Associate Professor, Columbia University School of the Arts Film, USA *
Table of ContentsTable of Contents Acknowledgements The American Century I. Mad Men and Politics: Nostalgia and The Remaking of America Lilly J. Goren and Linda Beail II. If You Don’t Like What They Are Saying, Change the Conversation: The Grifter, Don Draper, and the Iconic American Hero Lilly J. Goren III. The Power Elite and Semi-Sovereign Selfhood in post-War America Loren Goldman IV. Cash or Credit?: Sex and the Pursuit of Happiness Laurie Naranch Business and Identity V. Appearances, Social Norms, and Life in Modern America: Nationalism and Patriotism in Mad Men Lawrence Heyman VI. Going Groovy or Nostalgic: Mad Men and Advertising, Business, and Social Movements Kate Edenborg Those Seen and Not Seen, Heard and Not Heard VII. Masculinity and Its Discontents: Myth, Memory and the Future on Mad Men Denise Witzig VIII. “You Can’t Be a Man. So Don’t Even Try”: Femininity and Feminism in Mad Men Natalie Fuehrer Taylor IX. Invisible Men: The Politics and Presence of Racial and Ethnic “Others” in Mad Men Linda Beail Conclusion X. Tomorrowland: Contemporary Visions, Past Indiscretions Rebecca Colton Josephson Appendix I: Products of Mad Men Appendix II: Episodes of Mad Men Bibliography Author Biographies Index
