Interrogating popular culture : key questions / Stacy Takacs.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Takacs, Stacy, author.

Contributor:

Dhiren H. Shah W'82 and Katherine M. Shah Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Popular culture--Study and teaching.

Popular culture.

Culture--Study and teaching.

Culture.

Mass media--Study and teaching.

Mass media.

Physical Description:

xi, 256 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Routledge, 2015.

Summary:

Interrogating Popular Culture: Key Questions offers an accessible introduction to the study of popular culture, both historical and contemporary. Beginning with the assumption that cultural systems are dynamic, contradictory, and hard to pin down, Stacy Takacs explores the field through a survey of important questions, addressing: Definitions: What is popular culture? How has it developed over time? What functions does it serve? Method: What is a proper object of study? How should we analyze and interpret popular texts and practices? Influence: How does popular culture relate to social power and control? Identity and disposition: How do we relate to popular culture? How does it move and connect us? Environment: How does popular culture shape the ways we think, feel, and act in the world? Illustrated with a wide variety of case studies, covering everything from medieval spectacle to reality TV, sports fandom, and Youtube, Interrogating Popular Culture gives students a theoretically rich analytical toolkit for understanding the complex relationship between popular culture, identity, and society. Book jacket.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Dhiren H. Shah W'82 and Katherine M. Shah Fund.

ISBN:

9780415841184

0415841186

9780415841191

0415841194

OCLC:

879642411