Interrogating Cultural Studies: Theory, Politics And Practice

Description: This book presents an original and innovative new approach to the field of cultural studies in the form of a series of dynamically executed interviews with some of the world's leading and some of the most challenging emergent cultural theorists, from both sides of the Atlantic and beyond: Professor Mieke Bal, Professor Catherine Belsey, Professor Steven Connor, Professor Simon Critchley, Professor Thomas Docherty, Dr Jeremy Gilbert, Professor Sue Golding, Professor Lynette Hunter, Dr Martin McQuillan, Professor John Mowitt, Professor Christopher Norris, Professor Griselda Pollock, Professor Adrian Rifkin, Professor Jeremy Valentine, Professor Julian Wolfreys, and Professor Slavoj Zizek are all included here. The book is framed by lively and informative introductions, which introduce the work of these thinkers, and which also introduce the reader to the crucial importance of the issues that the interviews address. The result is an entertaining and hugely useful introduction to the key ideas in the field, the strengths and problematic weaknesses of cultural studies as a discipline, allowing the reader to chart its development, and to identify emerging trends. This book is ideal for students of cultural studies and the interdisciplinary arts and humanities, and will be of great interest to teachers and researchers working within a very wide range of areas of cultural studies. Table of Contents: Introduction - interrogating cultural studies. Part 1 From cultural studies: from cultural studies to cultural criticism?, Catherine Belsey; from cultural studies to cultural analysis - 'a controlled reflection on the formation of method', Mieke Bal; the projection of cultural studies, Martin McQuillan. Part 2 Cultural studies (&) philosophy: why I love cultural studies, Simon Critchley; two cheers for cultural studies - a philosopher's view, Chris Norris. Part 3 For cultural studies: inventing recollection, Adrian Rifkin; becoming cultural studies - the daydream of the politics, Griselda Pollock. Part 4 What cultural studies: friends and enemies - which side is cultural studies on?, Jeremy Gilbert; ...as if such a thing existed..., Julian Wolfreys. Part 5 Positioning cultural studies: cultural studies, in theory, John Mowitt; the subject position of cultural studies - is there a problem?, Jeremy Valentine; what can cultural studies do?, Steven Connor. Part 6 Against cultural studies: responses, Thomas Docherty; unruly fugues, Lynette Hunter. Author Biography: Paul Bowman is lecturer in cultural studies at Bath Spa University College. He has been an editor of the international cultural studies journal, parallax, and is currently working on further books on the politics, pragmatics, and philosophies of cultural studies.