Description
Book Synopsis Although practice theory has been a mainstay of social theory for nearly three decades, so far it has had very limited impact on media studies. This book draws on the work of practice theorists such as Wittgenstein, Foucault, Bourdieu, Barth and Schatzki and rethinks the study of media from the perspective of practice theory. Drawing on ethnographic case studies from places such as Zambia, India, Hong Kong, the United States, Britain, Norway and Denmark, the contributors address a number of important themes: media as practice; the interlinkage between media, culture and practice; the contextual study of media practices; and new practices of digital production. Collectively, these chapters make a strong case for the importance of theorising the relationship between media and practice and thereby adding practice theory as a new strand to the study of anthropology of media.
Trade Review “This book is extremely thought provoking and makes an important contribution to current debates about the nature and scope of media ethnography. It includes the work of some of the most outstanding scholars working at the intersection of media studies and media ethnography, and many of the individual chapters make important contributions to the field.” · Virginia Nightingale, University of Western Sydney
“This is a worthy, potentially important book, very likely to have a substantial influence in the growing interdisciplinary fields of media studies and media anthropology. It is a well conceived and timely contribution to a set of ongoing conceptual debates and is successful in both representing those debates and participating in them. It deserves to be widely read.” · Eric W. Rothenbuhler, Texas A&M University
Table of Contents List of Figures
Preface
Introduction: Theorising Media and Practice
John Postill
PART I: MEDIA AS PRACTICE
Chapter 1. Theorising Media as Practice
Nick Couldry
Chapter 2. What Do We Mean by ‘Media Practices’?
Mark Hobart
Chapter 3. Media as Practice: A Brief Exchange
Nick Couldry and Mark Hobart
PART II: MEDIA, CULTURE AND PRACTICE
Chapter 4. From Fan Practice to Mediated Moments: The Value of Practice Theory in the Understanding of Media Audiences
S. Elizabeth Bird
Chapter 5. Thick Context, Deep Epistemology: A Meditation on Wide-Angle Lenses on Media, Knowledge Production and the Concept of Culture
Debra Spitulnik
Chapter 6. ‘But It Is My Habit to Read the Times’: Metaculture and Practice in the Reading of Indian Newspapers
Mark A. Peterson
Chapter 7. Embedded/Embedding Media Practices and Cultural Production
Ursula Rao
PART III: MEDIA PRACTICES IN CONTEXT
Chapter 8. Communication, Cognition and Usage: Epistemological Considerations of Media Practices and Processes
Guido Ipsen
Chapter 9. Language-games, In/dividuals and Media Uses: What a Practice Perspective Should Imply for Media Studies
Jo Helle-Valle
Chapter 10. A Barthian Approach to Practice and Media: Internet Engagements among Teleworkers in Rural Denmark
Jens Kjaerulff
Chapter 11. Can Practice Theory Inspire Studies of ICTs in Everyday Life?
Toke H. Christensen and Inge Røpke
PART IV: NEW MEDIA PRODUCTION PRACTICES
Chapter 12. Playful Practices: Theorising ‘New Media’ Cultural Production
Elisenda Ardèvol, Antoni Roig, Gemma San Cornelio, Ruth Pagès and Pau Alsina
Chapter 13. Theorising the Practices of Free Software: The Movement
Christopher Kelty 1
Chapter 14. Cinematography and Camera Crew: Practice, Process and Procedure
Cathy Greenhalgh
Notes on Contributors
Index
List of Figures
