Key Concepts in Critical Cultural Studies » (1st Edition)

Linda Steiner is a professor of journalism at the University of Maryland and the coauthor of Women and Journalism.

Clifford Christians is Sandage Professor of Communications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and coauthor of Normative Theories of the Media: Journalism in Democratic Societies.

This volume brings together sixteen essays on key and intersecting topics in critical cultural studies from major scholars in the field. Taking into account the vicissitudes of political, social, and cultural issues, the contributors engage deeply with the evolving understanding of critical concepts such as history, community, culture, identity, politics, ethics, globalization, and technology. The essays address the extent to which these concepts have been useful to scholars, policy makers, and citizens, as well as the ways they must be rethought and reconsidered if they are to continue to be viable.

Each essay considers what is known and understood about these concepts. The essays give particular attention to how relevant ideas, themes, and terms were developed, elaborated, and deployed in the work of James W. Carey, the "founding father" of cultural studies in the United States. The contributors map how these important concepts, including Carey's own work with them, have evolved over time and how these concepts intersect. The result is a coherent volume that redefines the still-emerging field of critical cultural studies.

Introduction: Working the Hyphens in Critical-Cultural Conversations Linda Steiner Clifford Christians ix

Part I Contexts

History: Looking for the Subject of Communication History John Nerone 3

Education: Critical Pedagogy Norman K. Denzin 17

Space: The Possibilities and Limits of the Conversation Model Angharad N. Valdivia 26

Religion: Faith in Cultural Studies Quentin J. Schultze 40

Community: Community without Propinquity Linda Steiner 54

Part II Culture

Culture: James W. Carey and the Conversation of Culture Lawrence Grossberg 73

Popular Culture: Asking the Right Questions Joli Jensen 88

Oral Culture: Oral Culture as Antidote to Terror and Ennui Mark Fackler 103

Ritual: The Dark Continent of Journalistic Ritual Catherine A. Warren 115

Identity: The Politics of Identity Work Lana F. Rakow 128

Part III Consequences

Professionalism: Journalism without Professional Journalists? Stuart Allan 145

Politics: Media Power, Status Politics, and Partisanship Frederick Wasser 158

Ethics: Communication Ethics in Postnarrative Terms Clifford Christians 173

The Public: Philosophical Foundations and Distortions in the Quest for Civitas Robert Fortner 187

Technology: The Digital Sublimation of the Electrical Sublime Steven Jones 199

Globalization: Counterglobalization and Other Rituals against Empire Jack Bratich 212

Epilogue: How Scholarship Matters Barbie Zelizer 227

Acknowledgments 239

Works Cited 241

Editors and Contributors 261

Index 266