′Jim McGuigan has done it again. The complex cultural machinery hiding behind the apparently simple ′facts of life′ still fresh in our collective memory, has been pulled out from its hiding, exposed, disassembled and put together again, and showed in action of shaping up its products; all that done to the benefit of us all - simultaneously producers and product of the life we share. Another great contribution to cultural studies; and to our understanding of the world notorious for defying/escaping understanding. This is exactly what we need ′cultural analysis′ for′ - Professor Zygmunt Bauman, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Leeds ′Jim McGuigan is one of cultural studies′ leading practitioners. This volume is a generous and wide-reaching exploration of how to use cultural theory to explore a wide variety of topics, brought together under the sign of the struggle for a vigorous, participatory public sphere′ - Toby Miller, University of California This book represents a distinctive approach to cultural analysis, using multi-dimensional methods for addressing issues of public interest. Stressing the impact of both neoliberalism and the formation of a ′cool capitalist culture′ that has colonised everyday life around much of the globe, Jim McGuigan deploys his original concept of the ′cultural public sphere′ within several carefully analysed case studies, including: • celebrity death • festivals and urban regeneration • ′race′ and multicultural controversy • popular television • social significance of the all purpose mobile communication device in a privatised and individualised way of life • riskiness and uncertainty in the creative and media industries This is a radical intervention in the research agendas and conceptual development of cultural policy studies, cultural sociology and, more generally, in the broad field known as ′cultural studies′. It offers challenging theoretical arguments that are substantiated with concrete evidence of cultural and social processes.

First published in 1984, Cultural Analysis is a systematic examination of the theories of culture contained in the writings of four contemporary social theorists: Peter L. Berger, Mary Douglas, Michel Foucault, and Jürgen Habermas. This study of their work clarifies their contributions to the analysis of culture and shows the converging assumptions that the authors believe are laying the foundation for a new approach to the study of culture. The focus is specifically on culture, a concept that remains subject to ambiguities of treatment, and concentrates on questions concerning the definition and content of culture, its construction, its relations with social conditions, and the manner in which it may be changing. The books demonstrates how these writers have made strides towards defining culture as an objective element of social interaction which can be subjected to critical investigation.

Drawing upon a range of perspectives from textual and cultural studies, this book synthesizes textual, contextual and audience analysis into an overall picture of meaning making. Using examples ranging from Balzac to blonde jokes, modernist poetry to pop lyrics, the book discusses the factors that contribute to the fomation of meaning: language, media, texts, contexts and readers. In the cultural study of texts - texts, contexts and practices - are equally important, the author argues. Meaning making takes place in the articulation between these different elements. But how can one examine all three areas at the same time? In The Cultural Analysis of Texts, Mikko Lehtonen develops a model to enable just such an approach.

DIVThis interdisciplinary collection demonstrates the purchase of cultural studies frameworks for thinking about legal questions beyond the reach of the Law & Economics framework./div

Cross-Cultural Analysis is the sequel to Culture's Consequences, the classic work published by Geert Hofstede, one of the most influential management thinkers in today's times. Hofstede's original work introduced a new research paradigm in cross-cultural analysis: studying cultural differences through nation-level dimensions (complex variables defined by intercorrelated items). This paradigm has been subsequently used by hundreds of prominent scholars all over the world and has produced solid results. This new text takes the next step: It critically examines in one comprehensive volume the current, prevalent approaches to cross-cultural analysis at the level of nations that have been developed since Hofstede's work, offering students and researchers the theoretical and practical advantages and potential pitfalls of each method. The book is structured into four distinct parts. Parts I and II focus on the main theoretical and statistical issues in cross-cultural analysis using Hofstede's approach and the different research methods now associated with it. Part II consists of presentations of all well-known (and some lesser known) large-scale cross-cultural studies since Hofstede's work that have explained cross-cultural variation in terms of dimensional models. Part III summarizes the main conclusions to be drawn from the presentations in Part II and l explains how the proposed models have contributed to our practical understanding of cross-cultural diversity.

Second edition of this extremely popular and heavily adopted undergraduate Cultural Studies text.

Chris Barker's best-selling Cultural Studies has established itself as the leading undergraduate introduction to Cultural Studies. It takes the student through all they need to know: the theoretical foundations and developments of Cultural Studies and the questions that occupy the field today, from the multiple meanings of 'culture' itself to ideology, language, subjectivity, sex, space, race, media, the urban, youth and resistance. With its concise, accessible definitions, stimulating activities, checked 'key points', chapter summaries, and an expanded glossary, it is an indispensable tool for students and lecturers alike. This third edition is fully updated with: • a new chapter on electronic media and 'digital culture'; • major additions of material on the creative industries, culture jamming, new feminism and 'raunch culture' and globalization; • all-new photographs presented with pedagogic activities; • biographical snapshots of key figures in cultural studies. This book is now even more the best-value one-stop shop for Cultural Studies. Chris Barker is Associate Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Wollongong, and author of The SAGE Dictionary of Cultural Studies.

`To say that the scope of the book's coverage is wide-ranging would be an under-statement. Few texts come to mind that have attempted such a thorough overview of the central tenets of cultural studies' - Stuart Allan, University of West of England This is a book for anyone who wants an unfussy, authoritative critical introduction to Cultural Studies. It equips you with all that you need to know about theories of cultural studies: what they say, how they differ from one another and what are the strengths and weaknesses of each position. It provides biographical information on major theorists plus assessments of key texts. Unlike other competing books in the field, Cultural Studies - The Basics demonstrates what a Cultural Studies approach can do to illuminate basic areas of contemporary culture. Included are chapters on: - Feminism - The Body - Cultural Space - Communications Technology - Cultural Policy - Language and Culture. The book is designed to be used and read by students who face the pressures of essay dead-lines, examinations and dissertations. Above all it approaches Cultural Studies as something that needs to be used as well as studied.

Contains over 200 entries on key concepts and theorists of cultural studies.

This anthology is designed to assist teachers and students in learning how to better understand and interpret our common culture and everyday life. With a focus on contemporary media, consumer, and digital culture, this book combines classic and original writings by both leading and rising scholars in the field. The chapters present key theories, concepts, and methodologies of critical cultural and media studies, as well as cutting-edge research into new media. Sections on teaching media/cultural studies and concrete case studies provide practical examples that illuminate contemporary culture, ranging from new forms of digital media and consumer culture to artifacts from TV and film, including Barbie and Big Macs, soap operas, Talk TV, Facebook, and YouTube. The lively articles show that media/cultural studies is an exciting and relevant arena, and this text should enable students and citizens to become informed readers and critics of their culture and society.