Introducing Cultural Studies

By Borin Van Loon and Ziauddin Sardar

Book Overview

Cultural Studies signals a major academic revolution for the 21st century. But what exactly is it, and how is it applied? It is a discipline that claims not to be a discipline; it is a radical critical approach for understanding racial, national, social and gender identities. "Introducing Cultural Studies" provides an incisive tour through the minefield of this complex subject, charting its origins in Britain and its migration to the USA, Canada, France, Australia and South Asia, examining the ideas of its leading exponents and providing a flavour of its use around the world. Covering the ground from Gramsci to Raymond Williams, postcolonial discourse to the politics of diaspora, feminism to queer theory, technoculture and the media to globalization, it serves as an insightful guide to the essential concepts of this fascinating area of study. It is essential reading for all those concerned with the quickening pulse of old, new and emerging cultures.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1848311818
• ISBN13: 9781848311817
• Release Date: July 2010
• Publisher: Icon Books
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.6" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

Additional on "Introducing Cultural Studies"

The book is enlightening as an introduction. I recommend it. I do detect a strong British oriented and influenced view of the topic which, in certain ways, is refreshing. The United States tends to seem to think of itself as the center or the world and it's nice to read a book with at least a slightly different point of view. It should be mentioned that the book is very heavily illustrated so that the page count is somewhat misleading. If the book were not illustrated, it would perhaps be 50 pages or less. The graphics do help enliven what might be a dry topic for some. The "Further Reading" section at the end will aid those who would like to continue more in depth.

LIGHT ESSAY OF CULTURAL STUDIES

Ziauddin Sardar's "Introduction to Cultural Studies" is nothing more than the title indicates. This lenghty essay merely presents basic concepts that are prevalent in a postmodern discourse between societal values, power relations, and the value placed on cultural "norms" given in various communities. Sardar presents the history of Cultural Studies as a discipline, which begins in a social context, but the analysis of which, takes place by various sociologists, philosophers (primarily Freud, Nietzche, and Hegel), and literary minds. Overall, the essay is enlightening as an introduction, a good preface to the discourse(s) one finds in most disciplines today.