Description
Book SynopsisThrough the Crosshairs traces the genealogy of the weaponized gaze—camera footage framed from the perspective of a military drone, a descending smart bomb, or a sniper’s telescopic sights. Tracking these images across a variety of media, including news reports, action movies, and video games, Roger Stahl explores how they have influenced public perceptions.
Trade Review"Stahl displays true dexterity with theory, offering observations both big and small that wonderfully merge abstract concepts with concrete examples of popular culture. His analyses are exceptionally adept, creative, clever, and enlightening." -- Matt Sienkiewicz * author of The Other Air Force: U.S. Efforts to Reshape Middle Eastern Media Since 9/11 *
"Roger Stahl’s wild new book shows how military technology wages war on us all—even those of us lucky enough to be on the 'right side' of the border, the scope, or the screen. Engaging, fun, and filled with sharp insights into the militarization of popular culture, Through the Crosshairs is a blast."
-- Joshua Reeves * Oregon State University, author of Citizen Spies: The Long Rise of America's Surveillance Society *
"Immersing readers in the perilous visualities of smart bombs, snipers, and drones,
Through the Crosshairs delivers a riveting analysis of the weaponized gaze and powerfully explicates the political stakes of screen culture's militarization. Packed with insights about the current conjuncture, the book positions Stahl as a leading critic of war and media." -- Lisa Parks * Comparative Media Studies, MIT, author of Rethinking Media Coverage: Vertical Mediation and the War *
Spotlight on
Through the Crosshairs on The War and Media * The War and Media Network *
"Chronicle of Higher Education weekly book list," by Nina C. Ayoub * Chronicle of Higher Education *
Table of Contents1 A Strike of the Eye
2 Smart Bomb Vision
3 Satellite Vision
4 Drone Vision
5 Sniper Vision
6 Resistant Vision
7 Afterword: Bodies Inhabited and Disavowed
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
