Social Theory in Popular Culture

ISBN-13: 9780230284999 / Angielski / Miękka / 2012 / 192 str.

Lee Barron

Opis

Illuminating key themes of classical sociological texts, this book shows how the ideas of Marx, Durkheim or Weber can be explored by listening to music, reading about celebrities, or watching award-winning films. Providing a fresh way to explore social theory, the text clearly shows the continued relevance of classic ideas in the modern world.

Spis treści

Introduction Marx and Music Weber and Film Durkheim and Celebrity Simmel and Pop Fashion Adorno and Reality Television Feminism and Sport Semiotics and Tattooing Neoliberalism and Literature Conclusion: Thinking, Watching, Listening and Reading Sociologically.

O autorze

LEE BARRON is a Senior Lecturer in Media at Northumbria University. His main research interests are cultural theory, media and popular culture, and he has written extensively on issues of popular culture.

Blurb

Social theory can sometimes seem as though it's speaking of a world that existed long ago, so why should we continue to study and discuss the theories of these dead white men? Can their work still inform us about the way we live today? Are they still relevant to our consumer-focused, celebrity-crazy, tattoo-friendly world?

This book explains how the ideas of classical sociological theory can be understood, and applied to, everyday activities like listening to hip-hop, reading fashion magazines or watching reality TV. Taking the reader through central sociological texts, Social Theory In Popular Culture explains why key theorists – from Marx to Saussure – are still considered to be the bedrock of sociology and sociological enquiry. Each chapter examines a different key thinker and applies their work to a recognisable aspect of popular cultural, showing how the central issues underpinning classic social thought - class, conflict, gender, power, ethnicity, and social status - can still be readily observed within the modern global world.

Encouraging the reader to critique and reflect upon the ways in which classic social theory applies to their own worlds, this is the perfect antidote to dry social theory explanations. It is an eye-opening read for all students and scholars across the social sciences.