Media, Ritual and Identity examines the role of the media in society; its complex influence on democratic processes and its participation in the construction and affirmation of different social identities.
It draws extensively upon cultural anthropology and combines a commanding overview of contemporary media debates with a series of fascinating case studies ranging from political ritual on television to broadcasting in the third world.

Media, Ritual and Identity examines the role of the media in society; its complex influence on democratic processes and its participation in the construction and affirmation of different social identities.
It draws extensively upon cultural anthropology and combines a commanding overview of contemporary media debates with a series of fascinating case studies ranging from political ritual on television to broadcasting in the third world.

Many of us have our own canonic texts - the kind that won't 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. 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....

ARE THERE ANY? Many of us have our own canonic texts - the kind that won't
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...

In the new paperback edition of this classic text, Liebes and Katz examine how television viewers around the world respond differently to popular television programmes, particularly Dallas. Analszing conversations among viewers in Israel, Japan and the U. S., they show that viewers possess a good deal more critical ability than they are commonly given credit for.

What links the interviews with Saddam Hussein and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on British and American TV, the chase of journalists following mega-terrorists, and the new status conferred on ordinary people at war? Transforming Media Coverage of Violent Conflicts offers a timely and original discussion on the shift in war journalism in recent years.