Description
Book SynopsisRaymond Williams, a Welsh media critic and a pioneer of cultural studies, believed traditional biographies focus on individuals while isolating them from their communities. The author introduces us to Williams and his time period of social change and crisis.
Trade ReviewAlan O'Connor has written a timely introduction to Raymond Williams. Superbly written, accessible, and very useful. O'Connor highlights the many areas in which Williams's work remains valuable to us today. -- Robert W. McChesney, author, Blowing the Roof Off the Twenty-First Century: Media, Politics, and the Struggle
O'Connor captures the complexity of Raymond Williams's voluminous oeuvre, and brings to life the intellectual and political debates that were its driving force. From Williams's dynamic, power-laden conception of culture to his subtle analyses of technology, this book provides a much-needed survey of this important thinker's contributions to the sociology of media and communication studies. -- Rodney Benson, New York University
A valuable introduction to Williams's work that is ideally suited to the needs of advanced-level students. While this book is focused on Williams's media work, Alan O'Connor's thorough knowledge of Williams's vast writings makes it a very good entry point to all of this key thinker's ideas. Crisply and engagingly written while highly informative. -- Paul Jones, University of New South Wales; author; Raymond Williams's Sociology of Culture
This is a terrific addition to our knowledge of Raymond Williams's contributions to understanding culture, media, and communication. Alan O'Connor has a deep, but non-hagiographic, appreciation of Williams's work, and he shares the fruits of his long years of study with us in a lively, accessible style. He also relates Williams to a wonderful array of other writers (Gramsci, Benjamin, Fanon, Said, and many others), thereby highlighting him against many of the most stimulating thinkers of the past hundred years. -- John D.H. Downing, Director, Global Media Research Center, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 1 Formation and Language Chapter 3 2 Institution Chapter 4 3 Cultural Form Chapter 5 4 Theory Chapter 6 5 Politics and Letters Chapter 7 Appendix A: "Television: News Values" Chapter 8 Appendix B: Raymond Williams and Anarchism Chapter 9 Select Bibliography Chapter 10 Index Chapter 11 About the Author
