This lively and informative survey provides a thematic global history of popular culture focusing on the period since the end of the Second World War. A History of Popular Culture explores the rapid diffusion and 'hybridization' of popular culture as the result of three conditions of the world since the end of World War Two: instantaneous communications, widespread consumption in a market-based economy and the visualization of reality. Betts considers the dominance of American entertainment media and habits of consumption, assessing adaptation and negative reactions to this influence. The...