Cultural, media and gender studies roundup

Embodying Identities: Culture, Differences and Social Theory

Author: Victor J. Seidler

Edition: First

Publisher: Policy Press

Pages: 248

Price: £65.00 and £19.99

ISBN 9781847423825 and 3818

Seidler draws on diverse traditions within classical social theory, including Marx, Weber and Durkheim, as well as more recent traditions of critical theory and post-structuralism, to examine how we create our own identities via networks of complex affiliations. Contemporary examples are used to shape a new language of social theory that permits people to embody differences with a sense of self-worth in a post-modern and globalised world.

Critical Terms for Media Studies

Editors: W.J.T. Mitchell and Mark B.N. Hansen

Edition: First

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Pages: 376

Price: £48.50 and £18.00

ISBN 9780226532547 and 2554

This text is edited by two leading scholars and features contributors including Katherine Hayles and Johanna Drucker. It seeks to define and redefine the hybrid area of media studies, which incorporates a diverse array of fields and disciplines, by illuminating the key concepts behind current debates. Essays commissioned for this volume consider the ways in which technology changes our understanding of mediation, and also aim to articulate issues important to media practitioners.

Cinema: A Visual Anthropology

Author: Gordon Gray

Edition: First

Publisher: A&C Black/Berg

Pages: 192

Price: £17.99

ISBN 9781845207946

Gray presents a concise, lucid and cross-disciplinary summary of the most important ideas, debates and texts in key approaches to the study of fiction film, and considers ways to address film and film experience beyond the study of the audience. It is aimed at students of anthropology and cinema studies and offers case studies from around the world to exemplify important issues. Each chapter offers a list of suggested further reading.

The Origin of Cultures: How Individual Choices Make Cultures Change

Author: W. Penn Handwerker

Edition: First

Publisher: Left Coast Press

Pages: 156

Price: £62.95 and £18.50

ISBN 9781598740677 and 0684

In an accessible and provocatively argued text, Handwerker shows that individual choices on matters ranging from consumerism to terrorism are questions of culture, and considers what it is, where it comes from and the complex ways it changes and evolves. He works through the process of how the human imagination is shaped by culture and experience, but also how it evolves unpredictably.

Contemporary Feminist Theory and Activism: Six Global Issues

Author: Wendy Lynne Lee

Edition: First

Publisher: Broadview Press

Pages: 244

Price: £23.95

ISBN 9781551119045

Lee examines issues she believes are vital to meaningful feminist movement: the economic disparity and gender inequality of global markets; the role played by technology in view of reproductive rights and sexual identity; the rise of religious fanaticism; and the relationship between our conceptions of gender, non-human animals and the environment. She aims to demonstrate the relevance of feminist theorising to issues that, while not directly about the status and emancipation of women, are key to forming connections with other important 21st-century movements. Inspired by Marxist, critical theory, phenomenological and post-structuralist analyses, this text hopes to draft a model for a reinvigorated feminism.

Dealing with the Media

Author: Chris Rau

Edition: First

Publisher: University of New South Wales Press

Pages: 208

Price: £24.50

ISBN 9781742230917

Drawing on personal experience of her sister's wrongful detention, Rau, an experienced journalist in Australia, found herself in the position of interviewee and media strategist. This text is a practical guide offering straightforward advice and is aimed at anyone who has been thrust into the media spotlight or needs to transmit information to the world. Rau offers guidance on putting a story across, finding the right media outlets, developing relationships with journalists and utilising digital media, and incorporates tips from leading Australian media figures.

Stance: Ideas about Emotion, Style, and Meaning for the Study of Expressive Culture

Author: Harris M. Berger

Edition: First

Publisher: Wesleyan University Press

Pages: 200

Price: £62.50 and £22.50

ISBN 9780819568779 and 8786

Berger aims to challenge conventional thinking about cultural experiences including music, performance, stories, rituals and film, probing why they move us and how their meanings are influenced by the wider social context and immediate situation. Employing philosophical theory and an engagement with a range of cultural practices from mass media entertainment to music recitals, this book is aimed at students in folklore, ethnomusicology, popular music studies, anthropology and performance studies.

Post-Classical Hollywood: Film Industry, Style and Ideology Since 1945

Author: Barry Langford

Edition: First

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Pages: 320

Price: £19.99

ISBN 9780748638581

Ranging from Singin' in the Rain to Pirates of the Caribbean, Langford considers the challenges, crises and technological shifts that have driven the evolution of the post-war US film business, as well as the wider entertainment industry and transnational media conglomerates of which it is a part. Drawing on film history, discussion of movies' social and political dimensions, and analysis of Hollywood's distinctive methods of storytelling, Post-Classical Hollywood charts key critical debates and offers fresh perspectives on the seventh art.

Directory of World Cinema: Russia

Editor: Birgit Beumers

Edition: First

Publisher: Intellect Books

Pages: 350

Price: £16.00

ISBN 9781841503721

Beumers and contributors consider the long history of Russian cinema, from Sergei Eisenstein to the present day. Essays consider key players and important genres including war films, biopics, documentary and melodrama; reviews and case studies consider individual films in depth; and recommended reading and online resources are provided. It is intended for film-studies students and cinema fans alike.

Introducing Intercultural Communication: Global Cultures and Contexts

Authors: Shuang Liu, Cindy Gallois and Zala Volcic

Edition: First

Publisher: SAGE

Pages: 328

Price: £75.00 and £26.99

ISBN 9781848600355 and 0362

Written for an intercultural readership by a multinational team of authors, this introductory guide uses examples and case studies from around the world. Key topics include international conflict, social networking, migration and the role played by technology and the mass media in the globalisation of communication.

Wikiworld

Authors: Juha Suoranta and Tere Vaden

Edition: First

Publisher: Pluto

Pages: 208

Price: £17.99

ISBN 9780745328911

The authors aim to explore changes in the way we learn as institutionalised learning is being transformed by open collaboration and web-based participatory media. They present a historical and political framework and an overview of the use of new technologies and learning practices, and assess how the changing nature of education could lead to a more socially just future.

The Critical Practice of Film: An Introduction

Author: Elspeth Kydd

Edition: First

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Pages: 336

Price: £60.00 and £21.99

ISBN 9780230229754 and 9761

Kydd combines criticism, theory and practice and aims to encourage students to develop engaged creative expression and to take an active role as both reviewer and critic. The range of subjects covered includes critical practice, film form including narrative and documentary, and techniques of film including cinematography, editing and music.