Zombies in contemporary culture : journeys, bodies, pandemics and politics / edited by Linda Flores, Emma Tonkin and Conor Heffernan.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Heffernan, Conor, editor.

Tonkin, Emma, editor.

Ohlson, Linda Flores, editor.

Series:

Horror studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Zombies in popular culture.

Physical Description:

xiii, 252 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Cardiff : University of Wales Press, 2025.

Summary:

"Building on previous zombie studies scholarship, this ghoulish collection examines how the undead reflect and contribute to contemporary social anxieties, particularly in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The contributors to this volume advance the theoretical framework of 'zombiism' through four interconnected themes - journeys, bodies, pandemics and politics - and their writings analyse diverse media representations of zombies across literature, film, television and material culture, offering new perspectives on how zombie narratives engage issues of travel restrictions, political breakdowns, racial tensions and sexual taboos. By bringing together scholars from various fields, the volume demonstrates the continuing relevance of zombies as a lens for understanding contemporary societal challenges, from public health crises to rising far-right politics and ongoing culture wars; its interdisciplinary approach not only enriches zombie studies but also reveals how the figure of the zombie remains a vital tool for analysing pressing issues in the humanities and beyond. " -- Provided by publisher

Contents:

Theorising zombiism / Linda Flores, Emma Tonkin and Conor Heffernan

Part I. The zombie journey

Place, space and the localised apocalypse : a data-led exploration of the zombie novel as a road trip / emma Tonkin

Fear the walking dead : elitism, privilege and zombie Americana / Scott Hamilton

The zombie revolution will not be televised : examining the importance of media in George R. Romero's early zombie movies / Robert Curran

Part II. Dissecting the zombie body

Decaying dicks and putrid pussies : zombie sex toys and pleasure / Caroline West

The suburban zombie : exploring posthumanism and transhumanism in Netflix's Santa Clarita diet / En-Chi Chiou

Incel zombie sex : trophy wives of the damned / Adeline Berry

The zombie as a metaphor of postmodern malaise in Halley : surviving the zombie pandemic / Violeta Alarcón Zayas

Hear the dead, bite the living : beyond post-apocalyptic trauma / Catherine Pugh and Nikki Foster-Kruczek

Abject body of the zombie as a counter-narrative to the pandemic hero / Madeline Becker

Human individuals versus zombie masses : dystopia or (hyper)individualistic utopia? / Hossein Mohammadzade

Part III. Zombie politics

Decomposition and excavation of war memories and massacres in Na Hong-jin's The wailing / Grace Jung

The symbolic zombification and the capitalist modes of production / Rodrigo Gonsalves

Race, class and the goal of the dead : marginalised identities in French zombie cinema / Reece Goodall.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1837723036

9781837723034

OCLC:

1500187010