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Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Interdisciplinary studies > Cultural studies
In 1974, the Brazilian sports official Joao Havelange was elected
FIFA's president in a two-round election, defeating the incumbent
Stanley Rous. The story told by Havelange himself describes a
private odyssey in which the protagonist crisscrosses two thirds of
the world canvassing for votes and challenging the institutional
status quo. For many scholars, Havelange's triumph changed FIFA's
(International Federation of Football Association) identity,
gradually turning it into a global and immensely wealthy
institution. Conversely, the election can be analyzed as a
historical event. It can be thought of as a political window by
means of which the international dynamic of a specific moment in
the Cold War can be perceived. In this regard, this book seeks to
understand which actors were involved in the election, how the
networks were shaped, and which political agents were directly
engaged in the campaign.
In recent years, India has emerged as a major economic and
political power: on the basis of purchasing-power parity, it was
the world's third largest economy in 2013. Yet the country's
cultural influence outside India has not been adequately analyzed
in academic discourses. As the world's largest democracy with a
vibrant and pluralist media system, India offers an excellent case
study of the power of culture and communication in the age of
mediated international relations. This book, a pioneering attempt,
from an international communication/media perspective, is aimed to
fill the existing gap in scholarship in this area. The discussion
of India's rising soft power is located within a historical
context, thus problematizing the notion of Soft Power itself. The
book will be aimed at university courses on global
media/international relations/area studies - among others.
Music has been a vital part of leisure activity across time and
cultures. Contemporary commodification, commercialization, and
consumerism, however, have created a chasm between
conceptualizations of music making and numerous realities in our
world. From a broad range of perspectives and approaches, this
handbook explores avocational involvement with music as an integral
part of the human condition. The chapters in The Oxford Handbook of
Music Making and Leisure present myriad ways for reconsidering and
refocusing attention back on the rich, exciting, and emotionally
charged ways in which people of all ages make time for making
music. The contexts discussed are broadly Western, including an
eclectic variety of voices from scholars across fields and
disciplines, framing complex and multifaceted phenomena that may be
helpfully, enlighteningly, and perhaps provocatively framed as
music making and leisure. This volume may be viewed as an attempt
to reclaim music making and leisure as a serious concern for,
amongst others, policy makers, scholars, and educators who perhaps
risk eliding some or even most of the ways in which music - a vital
part of human existence - is integrated into the everyday lives of
people. As such, this handbook looks beyond the obvious, asking
readers to consider anew, "What might we see when we think of music
making as leisure?"
Drawing on original fieldwork, Carl Morris examines Muslim cultural
production in Britain, with a focus on the performance-based
entertainment industries: music, comedy, film, television and
theatre. It is a seminal study that charts the growing agency and
involvement of British Muslims in cultural production over the last
two decades. Morris sets this discussion within the context of
wider religious, social and cultural change, with important
insights concerning the sociological profile, religious lives and
public visibility of Muslims in contemporary Britain. Morris draws
on theoretical considerations concerning the mediatization of
religion and cosmopolitanization in a globally-connected world. He
argues that a new generation of media-savvy and internationalist
Muslim cultural producers in Britain are constructing counter
narratives in the public sphere and are reshaping everyday
religious lives within their own communities. This is having a
profound impact upon areas that range from Islamic authority and
religious practice, to political and public debate, and
understandings of Muslim identity and belonging.
This book examines American screen culture and its power to create
and sustain values. Looking specifically at the ways in which
nostalgia colors the visions of American life, essays explore
contemporary American ideology as it is created and sustained by
the screen. Nostalgia is omnipresent, selling a version of America
that arguably never existed. Current socio-cultural challenges are
played out onscreen and placed within the historical milieu through
a nostalgic lens which is tempered by contemporary conservatism.
Essays reveal not only the visual catalog of recognizable motifs
but also how these are used to temper the uncertainty of
contemporary crises. Media covered spans from 1939's Gone with the
Wind, to Stranger Things, The Americans, Twin Peaks, the Fallout
franchise and more.
"Filmspeak" is an accessible, innovative book which uses specific
examples to show how once arcane literary and cultural theory has
infiltrated popular culture. Theory reaches us in ways we do not
even realize. Issues such as the nature of knowledge or truth, the
function of personal response in interpretation, the nature of the
forces of politics, the female alternative to the male view of the
world, are fundamental for all of us. And intelligent analysis of
the relationship between literary theory and popular culture can
help us to understand our fast-changing world.Here, experienced
literary scholar and teacher Edward L. Tomarken explains how it is
possible to study the rudiments of literary theory by watching and
analyzing contemporary mainstream movies - from "The Dark Knight"
to "Kill Bill," and from "The Social Network" to "The Devil Wears
Prada." Theorists discussed include Foucault, Jameson, Iser, and
Cixous. Tomarken brilliantly demonstrates that anyone can grasp
modern literary theory by way of mainstream movies without having
to wade through stacks of impenetrable jargon.
Russia in Britain offers the first comprehensive account of the
breadth and depth of the British fascination with Russian and
Soviet culture, tracing its transformative effect on British
intellectual life from the 1880s, the decade which saw the first
sustained interest in Russian literature, to 1940, the eve of the
Soviet Union's entry into the Second World War. By focusing on the
role played by institutions, disciplines and groups, libraries,
periodicals, government agencies, concert halls, publishing houses,
theatres, and film societies, this collection marks an important
departure from standard literary critical narratives, which have
tended to highlight the role of a small number of individuals,
notably Sergei Diaghilev, Constance Garnett, Theodore
Komisarjevsky, Katherine Mansfield, George Bernard Shaw and
Virginia Woolf. Drawing on recent research and newly available
archives, Russia in Britain shifts attention from individual
figures to the networks within which they operated, and uncovers
the variety of forces that enabled and structured the British
engagement with Russian culture. The resulting narrative maps an
intricate pattern of interdisciplinary relations and provides the
foundational research for a new understanding of
Anglo-Russian/Soviet interaction. In this, it makes a major
contribution to the current debates about transnationalism,
cosmopolitanism and 'global modernisms' that are reshaping our
knowledge of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century British
culture.
A fascinating survey of American food trends that highlights the
key inventions, brands, restaurant chains, and individuals that
shaped the American diet and palate in the 20th century. In the
United States today, how and what we eat-with all of its myriad
ethnic varieties and endless choices-is firmly entrenched in every
part of our culture. The American diet underwent constant evolution
throughout the 20th century, starting from the meat-and-potatoes
fare of the early-20th century and maturing into a culture that
embraced the cuisines of immigrant populations, fast-food chains,
health fads, and emerging gourmet tastes. Societal changes moved
women out of the kitchen and into the workforce, spawning the
invention of convenience foods and time-saving kitchen appliances.
American Food by the Decades is an entertaining chronological
survey of food trends in the United States during the 20th century.
The book is organized by decades to illustrate how changes in
society directly influenced dietary and dining habits as they
emerged over the last 100 years. Detailed encyclopedic entries
provide fascinating glimpses into history by telling the true
stories behind the foods, restaurants, grocery stores, and cooking
trends of the previous century. Over 250 encyclopedic entries on
the most prominent influences in American food during the 20th
century Contains 10 recipes, each emblematic of a particular decade
Over 15 sidebars with additional feature information
Chronologically presents popular foods of the 20th century in the
United States, with each of the ten chapters representing a decade
Each chapter provides a "For Further Exploration" bibliography
section
This text comprehensively covers the rituals, traditions and
receipts of ancestral processes of bread making from multiple
countries, including the scientific and technological character of
the science of bread making and sourdough biotechnology. Individual
chapters cover the scientific aspects of bread making in different
cultures and traditions as well as the technological phenomena
occurring during the bread making process, utilizing the full
network of SOURDOMICS from the COST initiative. Pictures and
illustrations are used to explain the science behind bread making
processes and the cultural, historical and traditional elements
associated with bread making in multiple countries. Authored by
bread making experts from the breadth of Europe, the process of
bread fermentation in each country and region is covered in detail.
The traditions surrounding bread making are simply the empirical
know-how passed between generations, and this book's main purpose
is to perpetuate these traditions and know-how. Provides a
description of the culture of European peoples with respect to the
technology of bread making and sourdough biotechnology; Explains
the process of bread fermentation using simple language combined
with scientific rigor; High quality pictures and illustrations
enrich the scientific and cultural elements mentioned in each
chapter.
Widespread popular belief holds that woke culture, increasingly
known as "wokeism," is the great progressive awakening of our time.
Its followers and proponents believe that their awakening is one of
seeing a better world without discrimination, unfairness, or
injustice. Those who refuse to subscribe to woke culture are seen
as hateful people who must advocate the opposite of what woke
culture claims to stand for. Increasingly anyone who questions the
woke message is shouted down, de-platformed, and even cancelled.
But is there something less attractive about woke thinking beneath
the labels? Few examinations of woke culture have yet appeared, and
Chris Heitzman's new book is timely. This book examines what woke
culture is, and analyses whether it aligns with its own
superficially attractive ideals or whether it is a sinister attempt
at mind control that is doomed to fail. The Coming Woke Catastrophe
explains why Heitzman is not woke, and why you should not be,
either.
This book is a comprehensive, historical bible on the subject of
urban street dance and its influence on modern dance, hip hop, and
pop culture. Urban street dance-which is now referred to across the
globe as "break dance" or "hip-hop dance"-was born 15 years prior
to the hip hop movement. In today's pop culture, the dance
innovators from "back in the day" have been forgotten, except when
choreographic echoes of their groundbreaking dance forms are
repeatedly recycled in today's media. Sadly, this is still the case
when dance moves that were engendered from 1965 through the 1970s
on the streets of Reseda, South Central Los Angeles, Oakland, San
Francisco, and Fresno, CA; or in the Bronx in New York City, are
utilized by modern performers. In Underground Dance Masters: Final
History of a Forgotten Era, an urban street dancer who was part of
the scene in the early 1970s sets the record straight, blowing the
lid off this uniquely American dance style and culture. This text
redefines hip hop dance and the origins of a worldwide phenomenon,
explaining the origins of classic forms such as Funk Boogaloo,
Locking, Popping, Roboting, and B'boying-some of the most important
developments in modern dance that directly affect today's pop
culture. Includes coverage of all of the major players in urban
dance Places current dance phenomena-from the moves of Usher to the
choreography of High School Musical-in a historical context that
stretches half a century Includes interviews and photos to further
bring the rich history of urban dance to life
Over the years, Mondo has received global recognition for its
incredible art posters that bring to life classic films, TV shows,
and comics in a refreshing and utterly striking new way, offering a
unique perspective on everything from Star Wars to Robocop, Back to
the Future, Jurassic Park, Game of Thrones, Godzilla, Kill Bill,
and many, many more. For the first time, The Art of Mondo will
bring together this much sought-after art in one deluxe volume that
showcases the incredible ingenuity of the studio's diverse stable
of artists whose vastly different styles are united by one guiding
principle: limitless passion for their subject matter. This richly
imaginative work is fueled by a love of pop culture that fans
recognize and identify with, giving Mondo's output a rare and
valuable synergy with its audience. While these posters are
normally produced in a limited quantity and sell out in minutes,
The Art of Mondo will allow fans to explore the studio's remarkable
back catalog, including Olly Moss's iconic Star Wars trilogy work,
Laurent Durieux's brilliantly subtle Jaws poster, and Tyler Stout's
Guardians of the Galaxy art. Other key Mondo artists such as Jock,
Martin Asin, and Aaron Horkey will also feature. Definitive,
visually stunning, and filled with art that celebrates some of the
biggest and best-loved properties in pop culture, The Art of Mondo
will be the ultimate book for cult art fans everywhere.
A Companion to Border Studies introduces an exciting and expanding
field of interdisciplinary research, through the writing of an
international array of scholars, from diverse perspectives that
include anthropology, development studies, geography, history,
political science and sociology. * Explores how nations and
cultural identities are being transformed by their dynamic,
shifting borders where mobility is sometimes facilitated, other
times impeded or prevented * Offers an array of international views
which together form an authoritative guide for students,
instructors and researchers * Reflects recent significant growth in
the importance of understanding the distinctive characteristics of
borders and frontiers, including cross-border cooperation, security
and controls, migration and population displacements, hybridity,
and transnationalism
This is a book about the dynamics of the aspirational society. It
explores the boundaries of permissible thought--deviations and
transgressions that create constant innovations. When confronted
with a problem, an innovative mind struggles and brings forth
something distinctive--new ideas, new inventions, and new programs
based on unconventional approaches to solve the problem. But this
can be done only if the culture creates large breathing spaces by
leaving people alone, not as a matter of state generosity but as
something fundamental in being an American. Consequently, the
Constitutional mandate of "Congress shall make no law..." has
encouraged fearless speech, unrestrained thought, and endless
experimentation leading to newer developments in science,
technology, the arts, and not least socio-political relations. Most
of all, the First Freedoms liberate the mind from irrational fears
and encourage an environment of divergent thinking, non-conformity,
and resistance to a collective mindset. The First Freedoms
encourage Americans to be iconoclastic, to be creatively crazy, to
be impure, thus, enabling them to mix and re-mix ideas to design
new technologies and cultural forms and platforms, anything from
experimental social relations and big data explorations to electing
our first black president.
For the first time in human history, more people inhabit urban than
rural areas. Investigating the experience of hunger and
malnutrition in urban spaces, Food and Agriculture in Urbanized
Societies confronts the persistence of social inequalities,
constant waves of economic crises and accelerating climate shifts,
asking, how and to what extent food systems will recover and
rebuild after the unprecedented eruption of a pandemic? An in-depth
diagnosis of the state of the art of the current and dominant
agri-food system, the broad and diverse collective intelligence in
this edited collection proposes alternatives for change and
redesign, bringing together a set of pioneering ideas and solutions
to old and new problems. From environmental regeneration and the
quality of food to the nutritional, political and economic
perspective, the chapters culminate with the focus on developing a
more integrative and systematic approach towards urban and rural
areas. Inspiring innovative and sustainable practices, governance
perspectives and informing public policies, Food and Agriculture in
Urbanized Societies offers the most current research on urbanized
agriculture to truly provide 'pathways for a better future' to
foster more equitable and fair societies.
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Machines
(Hardcover)
Abraham P. DeLeon; Series edited by Richard Diem, Jeff Passe
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R2,551
Discovery Miles 25 510
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Ships in 18 - 22 working days
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This book is about machines: those that have been actualized,
fantastical imaginal machines, to those deployed as metaphorical
devices to describe complex social processes. Machines argues that
they transcend time and space to emerge through a variety of spaces
and places, times and histories and representations. They are such
an integral fabric of daily reality that their disappearance would
have immediate and dire consequences for the survival of humanity.
They are part and parcel to our contemporary social order. From
labor to social theory, art or consciousness, literature or
television, to the asylums of the 19th century, machines are a
central figure; an outgrowth of affective desire that seeks to
transcend organic limitations of bodies that whither, age and die.
Machines takes the reader on an intellectual, artistic, and
theoretical journey, weaving an interdisciplinary tale of their
emergence across social, cultural and artistic boundaries. With the
deep engagement of various texts, Machines offers the reader
moments of escape, alternative ways to envision technology for a
future yet to materialize. Machines rejects the notion that
technological innovations are indeed neutral, propelling us to
think differently about those "things" created under specific
economic or historical paradigms. Rethinking machines provides a
rupture to our current technocratic impetus, shining a critical
light on possible alternatives to our current reality. Let us sit
back and take a journey through Machines, holding mechanical parts
as guides to possible alternative futures.
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