Trekkie popular culture responds to Star Trek as a myth that serves to forge a unifying social identity. Dr. Anijar explores this phenomena in light of the influences of television in children's lives, postmodern theories of teaching and learning, and the effects of utopian interpretations of Star Trek on teaching practice.

Kitsch-or tacky, simplistic art and art forms-is used by various political actors to shape and limit what we know about ourselves, what we know about our past and our future, as well as what our present-day public policy options might be. Using a plethora of historic and contemporary examples (such as Forrest Gump and Boys Town), the author maps out how kitsch is employed in various political and educational sites to shape public opinion and understandings.

This collection attempts to incorporate cultural studies into the understanding of schooling, not simply addressing how students read themselves as "members" of a distinct culture, but how they, along with teachers and administrators, read popular texts in general. The purpose of this book is to suggest some alternative directions critical pedagogy can take in its critique of popular culture by inviting multiple reading of popular texts into its analysis of schooling and seeing many forms of popular culture as critical pedagogical texts.

Trekkie popular culture sees Star Trek as a unifying myth. Dr Anijar explores this phenomenon in light of the influences of television in children's lives, and the effects of utopian interpretations of Star Trek on teaching practice.