Consuming Catastrophe - Mass Culture in America's Decade of Disaster (Hardcover)

Horrified, saddened, and angered: That was the American people's reaction to the 9/11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, the Virginia Tech shootings, and the 2008 financial crisis. In Consuming Catastrophe, Timothy Recuber presents a unique and provocative look at how these four very different disasters took a similar path through public consciousness. He explores the myriad ways we engage with and negotiate our feelings about disasters and tragedies-from omnipresent media broadcasts to relief fund efforts and promises to "Never Forget." Recuber explains how a specific and "real" kind of emotional connection to the victims becomes a crucial element in the creation, use, and consumption of mass mediation of disasters. He links this to the concept of "empathetic hedonism," or the desire to understand or feel the suffering of others. The ineffability of disasters makes them a spectacular and emotional force in contemporary American culture. Consuming Catastrophe provides a lively analysis of the themes and meanings of tragedy and the emotions it engenders in the representation, mediation and consumption of disasters.

General

Imprint:	Temple University Press,U.S.
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	November 2016
Authors:	Timothy Recuber
Dimensions:	210 x 140 x 23mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover - Cloth over boards
Pages:	212
ISBN-13:	978-1-4399-1369-7
Categories:	Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Communication studies > Media studies Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social work > Aid & relief programmes Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social issues > Social impact of disasters > General Promotions
LSN:	1-4399-1369-2
Barcode:	9781439913697

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