Based on an ethnography of Fort St. George Museum in Chennai (formerly Madras), India, Remembering Empire explores the public and private politics of preserving the memory of the British period in the former seat of the British East India Company. K.E. Supriya shows how the preservation of artifacts and paintings from the British period has become a means through which the imperialist politics of empire are reworked in the cultural memory of the South Indian people. Field-work in the museum and extensive interviews across three generations show how Indians reconcile with the Britishness of Indian identity. Woven throughout is the author's probing commentary on the significance of affirmative conversations about racialized pasts in the United States. Remembering Empire essential reading for anyone interested in postcolonial India and the politics of cultural memory.

This groundbreaking collection explores the intersecting variables of groups marginalized by the media. Contributors examine gender, race, class, sexual orientation, geography, and ethnicity in relation to feminist multicultural issues. . . . Highly recommended for students of feminism, multiculturalism, cultural studies, communication theory, and media analysis. --Choice "Most of the world's women experience multiple forms of oppression, yet few communication scholars have prioritized this profound reality. Professor Valdivia's collection examining feminism, multiculturalism, and the media is a welcome text for courses on women, minorities, and communication, plus an excellent resource for many other courses concerned with issues of diversity." --H. Leslie Steeves, University of Oregon "Many contributors illustrate contradictions in multicultural and feminist media perspectives. These embrace more than feminist analysis: They illustrate how gender, race, class, and ethnicity affect media coverage and reception, providing theoretical approaches to analyzing media coverage." --The Bookwatch The multiplicity of voices in this volume illustrates the contradictions inherent in multicultural and feminist perspectives on the media. Feminism, Multiculturalism, and the Media breaks new ground by exploring intersecting variables of oppression, from the personal to the political. The volume begins with feminist analyses but uncovers marginalized "others" in every area. These compelling case studies illustrate how issues of gender, race, class, sexual orientation, global origin, and ethnicity affect the coverage, portrayal, media production, and reception of every human being. The chapters present theoretical perspectives, provide examples of methodologies, focus on topics of current interest and global relevance, and represent a variety of media. An essential addition for any individual or classroom interested in critical perspectives on media, especially for courses on women in the media and minorities and the media.

From ads for Victoria's Secret to the character roles of Rosie Perez, the mass media have been defining race and femininity. In this diverse set of essays, Angharad N. Valdivia breaks theoretical and methodological boundaries by exploring the relationship of the media to various audiences. Throughout "A Latina in the Land of Hollywood" we are challenged to think differently about the media messages we often unconsciously consume, such as the popular representations of certain Latina cultural icons. Valdivia shows how reporters focus on Guatemalan activist Rigoberta Menchu's big smile, Brazilian media magnate Xuxa's blonde hair, and Puerto Rican actress Rosie Perez's high-pitched voice, never quite creating a comprehensive portrayal of these women. In her discussion of lingerie catalogs, Valdivia uncovers a similarly skewed depiction. The lush, high-class bedrooms of Victoria's Secret differ as much from the earthy, spare world of Frederick's of Hollywood as the types, sizes, and uses of the lingerie that the two companies sell. Valdivia takes a look at family films, arguing that single mothers are almost always portrayed as either trampy floozies or sexless, hapless women, whereas single dads fare much better. Whether examining one teenager's likes and dislikes or considering single parenthood in family films, Valdivia investigates how popular culture has become the arena in which we struggle to know ourselves and to make ourselves known. She calls for scholars to move beyond investigating implicit themes in films and media to studying the ways that audiences of different colors, ages, genders, and sexual preferences might understand or misunderstand such cultural messages. "A Latina in the Land of Hollywood" aims to explode traditional discussions of media and popular culture. It is a must-read for anyone interested in popular culture, television, and film.