Books in the Popular Culture and Everyday Life series

Capitalizes upon the popularity of zombies, exploring the relevance of the metaphor they provide for examining the political and pedagogical conditions that have produced a growing culture of sadism, cruelty, and death in America. This book uses metaphor to suggest symbolic face of power: beginning and ending with an analysis of authoritarianism.

From the films of Judd Apatow to sitcoms and popular music, this new breed of man is desperately attempting to change with the times, but is often unable (or unwilling) to understand the new landscape. Avoiding rhetorics of victimization, Derek A. Burrill charts and analyzes the other guy in order to understand how men see themselves, in media and in culture at large.

Examining six popular American gossip blogs at a peak moment of influence in the mid-2000s, this book explores how the technological affordances of new media enable the merging of the social practice of gossip with the practice of reading, creating an evolving participatory and community-based media culture that continues to transform celebrity culture in the digital age.

Sex, Drugs, & Rock 'n' Roll analyzes the cultural, political, and social revolution that took place in the U.S. (and in time the world) after World War II, crystalizing between 1955 and 1970. During this era, the concept of the American teenager first came into being, significantly altering the relationship between young people and adults.

Through the lens of lifestyle drug advertisements, Lifestyle Drugs and the Neoliberal Family unpacks our contemporary obsession with obtaining easy solutions for difficult problems. The ads' discourse illuminates the experience of living within a society increasingly affected by the policies of neoliberalism, one that requires us to invest and manage our own health.

Blowing Up the Brand

Soap operas and telenovelas are watched by millions of people around the world every day. In this title, chapters addresses the issues, theories, and debates that are linked to soap operas and telenovelas as global industries, as sites for audiences, and as hybrid cultural products within the digital landscape.

Soap operas and telenovelas are watched by millions of people around the world every day. This book demonstrates the richness of these genres and their long-term significance as the televisual landscape evolves and becomes increasingly reliant on technological and creative innovations.

Blowing Up the Brand

Using interviews with world-renowned and innovative hip-hop DJs, as well as technology manufacturers that cater to the market/culture, this book reveals stories behind some of the iconic DJ technologies that have helped shape the history and culture of DJing. More importantly, it explores how DJs have impacted the evolution of technology.