Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice

"This book presents a magisterial overview of Cultural Studies, and of studies of culture more broadly. It synthesizes a bewildering range of writers and ideas into a comprehensible narrative. It's respectful to the history of ideas and completely cutting edge. I learned a lot - you will too." - Professor Alan McKee, University of Technology Sydney "The role of culture in spatial, digital and political settings is a vital aspect of contemporary life. Barker and Jane provide an excellent introduction to Cultural Studies' relationship to these core issues, both through a clear explanation of key concepts and thinkers, alongside well chosen examples and essential questions." - Dr David O'Brien, Goldsmiths, University of London With over 40,000 copies sold, Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice has been the indispensable guide to studying culture for generations of students. Here is everything students need to know, with all the key concepts, theories and thinkers in one comprehensive, authoritative yet accessible resource. Teaching students the foundations of cultural studies - from ideology, representation and discourse to audiences, subcultures and cultural policy - this revised edition: Fully explores the ubiquity of digital media culture, helping readers analyse issues surrounding social media, surveillance, cyber-activism and more Introduces students to all the key thinkers they'll encounter, from Stuart Hall and Michel Foucault to Judith Butler and Donna Haraway Balances the classics with cutting edge theory, including case studies on e-commerce, the self-help industry, the transgender debate, and representations of race Embraces popular culture in all of its diversity, from drag kings and gaming, to anime fandom and remix cultures Is re-written throughout with a new co-author, making it a more enjoyable read than ever. Unmatched in coverage and used world-wide, this is the essential companion for all students of cultural studies, culture and society, media and cultural theory, popular culture and cultural sociology.

Table of Contents:
PART ONE: CULTURE AND CULTURAL STUDIES Chapter 1: An Introduction to Cultural Studies Concerning this Book The Parameters of Cultural Studies Key Concepts in Cultural Studies The Intellectual Strands of Cultural Studies The New Cultural Studies Project Central Problems in Cultural Studies Questions of Methodology Chapter 2: Questions of Culture and Ideology Culture with a Capital C: The Great and the Good in the Literary Tradition Culture is Ordinary Richard Hoggart: The Uses of Literacy Edward Thompson: The Making of the English Working Class Raymond Williams and Cultural Materialism High Culture/ Low Culture: Aesthetics and the Collapse of Boundaries Culture and the Social Formation The Question of Ideology Chapter 3: Culture, Meaning, Knowledge: The Linguistic Turn in Cultural Studies Barthes and Mythology Derrida: Textuality and Differance Foucault: Discourse, Practice and Power Post-Marxism and the Discursive Construction of the ′Social′ Language and Psychoanalysis: Lacan Language as Use: Wittgenstein and Rorty Discourse and the Material Chapter 4: Biology, the Body and Culture The Problem of Reductionism The Capabilities of Science The Cultured Body Genetic Engineering The Evolved Body of Biology Evolutionary Culture Biology and Culture: The Case of Emotions Meme Theory PART TWO: THE CHANGING CONTEXT OF CULTURAL STUDIES Chapter 5: A New World Disorder? Economy, Technology and Social Class Globalization The State, Politics and New Social Movements Chapter 6: Enter Postmodernism Defining the Terms Modernism and Culture Modern and Postmodern Knowledge The Promise of Postmodernism (or Modernity as an unfinished Project?) Postmodern Culture After Postmodernism PART THREE: SITES OF CULTURAL STUDIES Chapter 7: Issues of Subjectivity and Identity Subjectivity and Identity The Fracturing of Identity Agency and the Politics of Identity Anti-Essentialism, Feminism and the Politics of Identity Chapter 8: Ethnicity, Race and Nation Race and Ethnicity National Identities Diaspora and Hybrid Identities Race, Ethnicity and Representation Chapter 9: Sex, Subjectivity and Representation Feminism and Cultural Studies Sex, Gender and Identity Sexed Subjects Men and Masculinity Gender, Representation and Media Culture Chapter 10: Television, Texts and Audiences Television Today Television as Text: News and Ideology Social Media and News Reporting Television as Text: Soap Opera as Popular Televsion Television Storytelling in the Twenty-First Century The Active Audience Television Audiences and Cultural Identity The Globalization of Televsion Global Electronic Culture When TV isn′t on Television Chapter 11: Digital Media Culture A Digital Revolution Digital Media 101 Digital Divides Cyberspace and Democracy The Cultural Politics of Information The Global Information Economy Chapter 12: Cultural Space and Urban Place Space and Place in Contemporary Theory Cities as Places Political Economy and the Global City The Symbolic Economy of Cities The Postmodern City Cyberspace and the City The City as Text Chapter 13: Youth, Style and Resistance The Emergence of Youth Youth Subcultures Youthful Difference: Class, Gender and Race Space: A Global Youth Culture? Global Youth Online After Subcultures Creative Consumption Resistance Revisited Digital Youth Culture Chapter 14: Cultural Politics and Cultural Policy Cultural Studies and Cultural Politics Cultural Politic: The Influence of Gramsci The Cultural Politics of Difference Difference, Ethnicity and the Politics of Representation Difference, Citizenship and the Public Sphere Questioning Cultural Studies The Cultural Policy Debate Neo-Pragmatism and Cultural Studies GLOSSARY

About the Author :
Chris Barker is a teacher and researcher with over 25 years experience. He has worked in a number of schools and universities in both England and Australia. He is currently Associate Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia. Chris is the author of six previous books that are linked together by an interest in culture, meaning and communication. At present he is exploring questions of emotion in contemporary cultural life. Emma A. Jane is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of the Arts and Media at the University of New South Wales, Australia. She is currently involved in two major research projects: one on gendered cyberhate, and another on the ethics of cognitive enhancement or ‘smart drugs’. Prior to commencing her academic career, Emma spent nearly 25 years working in the Australian print, electronic, and on-line media. She has written seven previous books including a novel, Deadset, which won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Asia and the South Pacific for Best First Novel in 1997.  

Review :
It is a pleasure to welcome a new edition of Cultural Studies, the most comprehensive, dispassionate and insightful treatment of this turbulent field. With Emma A. Jane’s additions, new topics are opened up with a sure-footed adventurousness that is both scholarly and thought-provoking, adding a distinctive update to a reliable resource. This book presents a magisterial overview of Cultural Studies, and of studies of culture more broadly. It synthesises a bewildering range of writers and ideas into a comprehensible narrative. It’s respectful to the history of ideas and completely cutting edge. I learned a lot – you will too. The role of culture in spatial, digital and political settings is a vital aspect of contemporary life. Barker and Jane provide an excellent introduction to Cultural Studies’ relationship to these core issues, both through a clear explanation of key concepts and thinkers, alongside well chosen examples and essential questions. The 5th edition of Cultural Studies by Chris Barker and Emma A. Jane has been carefully and reflectively updated to keep abreast of the ongoing kaleidoscopic changes in culture and cultural theory. Particularly noteworthy is the heavily updated chapter on digital media and the section on digital youth culture, where new terms and theories are presented. The book is very pedagogical in its use of bullet-points, summaries, and questions which provoke critical reflection. I fully endorse this new edition of the book and warmly recommend it as an extremely valuable teaching and learning resource!