Being Cultural

Being Cultural is an ambitious collection of original readings which introduces students to key theory and key issues within cultural studies and popular culture. Bringing together established writers such as Andy Bennett, Douglas Kellner, Chris Rojek, Barry Smart and John Storey with academics researching cultural texts in new and innovative ways, the book challenges our common-sense notions of ‘culture’, placing debates centrally within the power dynamics and dominant meaning-making of capitalist society. In understanding the production and consumption of such texts, the book outlines theoretical discussion from the Frankfurt School, British Cultural Studies, Semiotics, Subcultural theory, and Postmodernism, as well as investigating special topics such as digital media, sport, advertising, social networking sites, celebrity, video games, the body, cinema, reality TV, and issues of gender and ethnicity. With a total of twenty-five chapters presented in a user-friendly style — including chapter summaries and suggestions for further reading from the authors — this is an essential text for any student new to the subject.

'Combining contemporary examinations of established theoretical traditions with recent developments in a range of topical case studies, Being Cultural provides a clear and engaging introduction to the study of popular culture. It will surely become essential reading for students of the subject.'  Paul Hodkinson, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, University of Surrey

'Well conceived, clearly organised and comprehensive, Being Cultural brings together a stellar cast of contributors to provide a lively and accessible introduction to the key theoretical traditions and topics of current concern, defining contemporary debates across the relations between cultural studies and cultural sociology.'   Tony Bennett, Professor in Social and Cultural Theory, University of Western Sydney

 

Part I: Introduction
Introduction to Part I Bruce Cohen
1. Cultural Studies and Sociology: Early developments and keywords Bruce Cohen
2. ‘Culture’ in Cultural Studies John Storey
3. Sociology of Art and Culture David Inglis

Part II: Key Theory
Introduction to Part II Bruce Cohen 
4. The Frankfurt School and the Culture Industry Douglas Kellner
5. British Cultural Studies: Culturalism and beyond Jeff Lewis and Belinda Lewis
6. From Subculture to Post-subculture: A critical overview of contemporary youth cultural studies Andy Bennett
7. The Contribution of Semiotics to the Analysis of Popular Culture Merja Bauters
8. Postmodernism and Popular Culture: Back to the future or forward into the past? Laurence Simmons
9. Australian and New Zealand Cultural Studies: The antipathies and ambiguities Nick Perry

Part III: Key Issues
Introduction to Part III Bruce Cohen
10. Gender, Popular Culture and Postfeminism Tracey Jensen
11. The Racialisation of Culture Nabeel Zuberi
12. Pakeha Identity and Material Culture Claudia Bell
13. The Body in Popular Culture Meredith Jones
14. Consumption, Culture and Change Catherine Reynolds
15. Advertising: Mapping the ‘new and improved’ mediascape Geoff Stahl
16. Celebrity Chris Rojek
17. Global Sport and the Cultural Economy of Late Capitalism: Play, spectacle, and profit Barry Smart
18. Technology, Popular Culture and Kraftwerk Bruce Cohen
19. Reality Television: Actuality, authenticity, artifice Amy West
20. Democratizing Television? The politics of participation Henry Jenkins
21. Cinema and Cultural Studies: In the land of the cinephiles Adrian Danks
22. Digital Media: The cultural politics of information Andrew Whelan
23. Facebook: Audiences, surveillance, friendship and identity Adam Craigie
24. The Sociology of Videogames Eli Boulton and Colin Cremin 
25. Space, Place and Identity Fiona Allon

Index 

Bruce Cohen is a Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Auckland, teaching courses on cultural studies, subcultures, crime and deviance, and the sociology of mental health. He has written on issues such as apprentice DJ-ing, party pills and drug subcultures, gender and community-based music projects, geography and music taste, and ethnic youth and moral panics. With over twenty years of social research experience in the public and voluntary sectors, Bruce has previously been awarded research scholarships to Germany and to Australia. In 2008 he published his critically acclaimed book, Mental Health User Narratives: New Perspectives on Illness and Recovery. Raised in the cultural capital of Essex, and spending considerable time in the north of England and in Berlin, he now lives in the seaside suburb of Devonport in New Zealand with his partner and cat.