Canonic Texts in Media Research: Are There Any? Should There Be? How About These?ISBN: 978-0-7456-2934-6
Paperback
280 pages
December 2002, Polity
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go away. We tell them that their time has passed, that it's embarrassing
they're still around, but they turn up repeatedly on our reading lists and
in our bibliographies. They inspire us, haunt us, argue with us -- but they
won't leave. Typically, we keep them to ourselves.
SHOULD THERE BE? Of course there should be, and there's no
reason to hide
them. Canons (and saints) should be shared, because they define
fields and
communities. These texts are not simply monuments, however. They
are alive
and breathing, standing the test of time by shedding old meanings
and
assuming new ones. The minimal care they need – occasional
brushing off and
bulb-changing – is well worth the trouble.
HOW ABOUT THESE? The field of media studies is now more than 50
years old,
and the contributors to this volume offer their own candidates for
canonization. Each of the thirteen essays in the book presents a
critical reading of one of these classics and debates its
candidacy. You are invited to disagree. The texts are summarized,
analysed and re-examined for their contemporary relevance. They are
grouped together in schools (Chicago, Columbia, Frankfurt, Toronto,
British Cultural Studies) to highlight the different perspectives
that characterize the field.
This book offers thirteen pairs of shoulders to stand on, the better to see the field of media studies. It will serve as an excellent teaching text for advanced students in communications and media and cultural studies.