At the Interface: Continuity and Transformation in Culture and Politics(20 At the Interface / Probing the Boundaries)

In a world increasingly characterised by perpetual re-invention through the dynamic flows of capital, persons and ideas, understanding change and transformation is an imperative. The purpose of this book is a first step in a project to engage the dynamics of transformation at the interface of culture and politics, through contextualisation, reflection and a sharing of intellectual resources. Bringing together the work of academics from a range of disciplines, who share an overarching aim to map such transformations, the volume covers themes ranging from popular culture, the Internet, to film and cinema. Casting a contemporary gaze on cultural phenomena, the contributors all seek to trace trajectories of change and continuity from within their own specific field, using a range of approaches from theoretical reflection to empirical case studies. Of general interest to students of the humanities and social sciences, and of particular interest for students of cultural studies and communication at all levels, this volume constitutes a unique opportunity to reflect on recent transformations but also on the persistence of certain cultural and political practices.

About the Author :
Sofie van Bauwel works as a teaching and research assistant at the department of communication studies of the Ghent University. She is also a member of the working group film and television studies of the Ghent University. Joss Hands received his PhD in Philosophy and Critical Theory from the Manchester Metropolitan University in 2000. He is currently a lecturer in Communication Studies at APU, Cambridge, and is doing research into the use of computer-mediated communication in local democracy. Shane Aaron Lachtman received a Bachelor of Arts in History and African American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and a Master’s of Arts in History at the University of California, Irvine. He is currently at Columbia University in the African American Studies and Sociology departments. Reinhart C. Lutz received a Ph. D. in English Literature (with a second emphasis in Film Studies) from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1991. Research interests include war and cinema, art and totalitarian regimes, cinema of Viet Nam, with articles published and papers given in the field. In 2003, teaches as a language instructor and consultant at CII Group, Berlin, Germany. Stephen Maddison is Senior Lecturer in Cultural Studies in the School of Cultural and Innovation Studies at the University of East London. He is the author of Fags, Hags and Queer Sisters (London: Macmillan, New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000). Kate Azuka Omenugha is at present studying for her PhD in Media Studies at the University of Gloucestershire, UK. She has years of university teaching experience in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria before coming to England for further studies. Her research focuses on the issues of identity, women and representation. Kate Omenugha has published in academic journals. Emine Onculer was working as a teaching assistant at the Sociology Department of Istanbul Bilgi University at the time of writing this paper. Currently she is a PhD candidate at Columbia University. Eugenia Siapera received a PhD from the European University Institute in Florence. She is currently a Research Fellow at the Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam. Her research interests include the politics of asylum and the media, the Internet and politics, and multiculturalism and difference. Recent publications appeared in New Media and Society, Javnost/The Public, and the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. Merl Storr is Senior Lecturer in Sociology in the School of Social Sciences at the University of East London. She is the author of Latex and Lingerie: Shopping for Pleasure at Ann Summers Parties (Oxford & New York: Berg, 2003). Asli Tunç is an assistant professor at the School of Communications at Istanbul Bilgi University and is currently serving as the head of the Media and Communication Systems Department. She received her Ph.D. on mass communications at Temple University in Philadelphia. Her current research is concerned with the cultural impacts of new media technologies in Turkey. Most recently, she contributed to the book series, M The Media in Southeast Europe and Quality Press in Southeast Europe published by Southeast European Media Center (SOEMZ) in Sofia and also to an upcoming Turkish book on Internet studies to be published by Imge Publications. Abraham G. van der Vyver is a member of the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University. Maria Way is a lecturer in the School of Media, Art and Design at the University of Westminster. Her interests are in the media and religion and she has researched extensively at the Vatican, most recently under the auspices of the Leverhulme Foundation, who awarded her a study abroad scholarship in Rome (2001-2002).