Media Culture: Cultural Studies, Identity and Politics between the Modern and the Post-modern

by Douglas Kellner

First published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Politics, 20th Century, Sociology, Cultural, Cultural Studies

726 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1994

About the author

Douglas Kellner is a "third generation" critical theorist in the tradition of the Frankfurt Institute for Social Research, or Frankfurt School. Kellner was an early theorist of the field of critical media literacy and has been a leading theorist of media culture generally.[citation needed] In his recent work, he has increasingly argued that media culture has become dominated by the forms of spectacle and mega-spectacle. He also has contributed important studies of alter-globalization processes, and has always been concerned with counter-hegemonic movements and alternative cultural expressions in the name of a more radically democratic society.

Kellner has written with a number of authors, including (with Steven Best) an award-winning trilogy of books on postmodern turns in philosophy, the arts, and in science and technology. More recently, he is known for his work exploring the politically oppositional potentials of new media and attempted to delineate what they term "multiple technoliteracies" as a movement away from the present attempt to standardize a corporatist form of computer literacy. Previously, Kellner served as the literary executor of the famed documentary film maker Emile de Antonio and is presently overseeing the publication of six volumes of the collected papers of the critical theorist Herbert Marcuse. At present, Kellner is the George Kneller Chair in the Philosophy of Education in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Titus Hjelm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would otherwise be a great introduction to critical cultural studies, but the examples are hopelessly outdated. None of the current cohort of my undergraduate students. for example, was even born when 'Top Gun' was a hit. Sadly, this is why all analyses of popular culture are perishable in a completely different sense than, say, analyses of class structure. Another point is that, although Kellner calls for a 'scientific study of popular culture', his own prejudices come through sharply. Metal music, for example, is shrugged off as 'noise', whereas his analysis of rap is full of lines such as: 'yes, rap is sexist, racist, violent, etc., BUT...' and then pages and pages of praise. Anyway, this is just *my* prejudiced blah blah, but in some ways Kellner can't escape the 'mass culture' criticism of Adorno (& Horkheimer) that he himself criticizes. There's an implicit hierarchy of good/important popular culture in the book, no matter how 'scientific' the analysis is. Amen =).

[niina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Media Culture was not an easy or pleasant read, mainly because it focused on the critical (or negative if you please) and the criticism, because it lead to a very clear understanding of manipulation and power play. After wrecking practically all hope for a positive, humane future, Mr. Kellner proceed to encourage and empower with either some very hopeful, soothing clauses or cynical, fed up ones. Both of them inspired, motivated and gave the good, passive aggression to use to go on. On other words, this book was pretty fucking great. And that would about sum up my feelings about the matter that is this Media Culture by Douglas M. Kellner.

Media Culture was written quite some time ago, so most of the examples included were a bit outdated, though it was not hard at all to just take the ideas and apply them to examples of my own in this time and age. The theories and examinations made here were still undoubtedly up-to-point and exact, and this close-historic point they were laid up and told did brilliant job on creating a very graphic and real picture of the train of fail and wreckage the society is building up to be, what it already has started transforming into, and how fast and easy this can advance. The theories and theoretics included and introduced were very basic ones, and even though the subjects they wished to cover were some of the big questions of being human (such as identity, being a subject, different parties, and distinction, you know the drill) it was done so well-lead and in the down to earth way they, in my opinion, should. When you read a text, a quote, a snippet, and you feel like somebody has easily and pleasantly put to words your own ideas and understandings you have failed writing yourself, and then there's another and yet another place where that is done, you know you're reading a book that fits you - yourself in the exact place and time with the history you know and the parts you still wish to get in touch and familiar with.

Reading this was a very brilliant and inspiring experience and I'd like to thank my university for having included this in the main course readings, because damn.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Por um tempo, A Cultura da Midia, de Douglas Kellner foi um dos principais livros sobre teoria de mídia de um período. Um período que pulei nos meus estudos porque estava me matando de trabalhar sem nenhuma perspectiva de futuro e de felicidade. Esse ano consertei essa lacuna lendo o livro. Claro, é uma obra estadunidense e, por isso foca exatamente a cultura da mídia anglófona deixando qualquer estudioso decolonial de cabelos em pé. Também foca bastante na cultura da mídia produzida nos anos 1990 e 1980, bastante afetada pela Guerra do Golfo, muito antes da internet mudar tudo o que se sabia sobre mídia no mundo. Ainda assim tem análises muito legais, principalmente no que tange aos estudos de gênero falando dos filmes machobroncos de ação da era Reagan que eram um sucesso entre os meninos que queriam ser homens "de verdade", a análise de Madonna e seu embaralhamento de papéis de gênero, quase como uma resposta a esses filmes também é uma análise muito boa. Claro que ainda iriamos ouvir falar de muitas mais metamorfoses da Sra. Ciccone, enquanto que os brucutus de filmes de ação entraram em decadência para surgirem como os atuais super-heróis da Marvel.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Facinating study of cultural studies theory; great case-studies although slightly dated. Very perceptive critique of the nuances of media, movies, music and how they affect the way we do culture.

[Ke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how this book used some tools from sociology. Like other readers, I also feel that I had read an edition with more recent examples.

[Fauzan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant textual and rare philosophy.

[Noora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hyvin mielenkiintoinen tenttikirja, jonka olisi hyvin voinut lukea kokonaankin, jos olisi tarvinnut. Luettu yöllä samaan aikaan kun katsoin Jukolan viestiä telkkarista!

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kellner eats, like the way he synthesises British Cultural Studies with the Frankfurt School is a really necessary way of looking at cultural studies imo. Too often theorists flounder on one end of the extreme, either way too poptimist or way too elitist... Kellner occupies an agreeable middle ground in my mind. The only reason it's four stars is because all of the examples are ANCIENT by now... but such is the peril of studying something so rapidly evolving I suppose.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imaginative and insightful introduction to critical cultural analysis. Interesting diagnostic critique of popular culture, but flawed in its limited perspective. Not for those who are over white male centrism.

[Laura Macedo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uma leitura interessante sobre a participação da mídia nas vivências da sociedade americana dos anos 80/90

[Venesseus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yo, this book helps me get good grades in college. It's really great for communication studies students.