Doing Cultural Studies

In recent years `culture' has become a central concern in a wide range of fields and disciplines. This book introduces the main substantive and theoretical strands of this `turn to culture' through the medium of a particular case study: that of the Sony Walkman. Using the example of the Walkman, the book indicates how and why cultural practices and institutions have come to play such a crucial part in our lives, and introduces some of the central ideas, concepts and methods of analysis involved in conducting cultural studies.

"Arguably the most famous book in its field... In theoretical terms, the legacy of Doing Cultural Studies confirms that this classic read is not just about the Walkman itself, but represents a series of clear observations about the symbolic meanings of culture." - LSE Review of Books Why think about the Walkman in the 21st century? Can the Walkman help us understand today’s media and cultural practices? Through the notion of the 'circuit of culture', this book teaches students to critically examine what culture means, and how and why it is enmeshed with the media texts and objects in their lives. Students will: Unpack the key concepts of contemporary culture, such as mobility, materiality, consumption and identity Learn to think about some of the cultural conundrums of the present and their relation to the past, such as branding culture Look with fresh eyes at today's media world and the cultural practices it gives rise to Gain practical experience with the historical comparative method Practice their critical skills with up-to-date exercises and activities This book takes students on a journey between past and present, giving them the skills do to cultural analysis along the way. It remains the perfect 'how to' for students in media studies, cultural studies, design and sociology.

"Arguably the most famous book in its field... In theoretical terms, the legacy of Doing Cultural Studies confirms that this classic read is not just about the Walkman itself, but represents a series of clear observations about the symbolic meanings of culture." - LSE Review of Books Why think about the Walkman in the 21st century? Can the Walkman help us understand today’s media and cultural practices? Through the notion of the 'circuit of culture', this book teaches students to critically examine what culture means, and how and why it is enmeshed with the media texts and objects in their lives. Students will: Unpack the key concepts of contemporary culture, such as mobility, materiality, consumption and identity Learn to think about some of the cultural conundrums of the present and their relation to the past, such as branding culture Look with fresh eyes at today's media world and the cultural practices it gives rise to Gain practical experience with the historical comparative method Practice their critical skills with up-to-date exercises and activities This book takes students on a journey between past and present, giving them the skills do to cultural analysis along the way. It remains the perfect 'how to' for students in media studies, cultural studies, design and sociology.

`This book is a goldmine for students...it is brilliantly conceptualized and brilliantly executed. With this book cultural studies finally comes of age methodologically' - Professor Norman K Denzin, Institute of Communications Research, University of Illinois Doing Research in Cultural Studies outlines the key methodological approaches to the study of lived experience, texts and social contexts within the field of cultural studies. It offers a comprehensive discussion of classical methodologies and introduces the reader to more contemporary debates that have argued for new ethnographic, poststructuralist and multi-scape research methods. Through a detailed yet concise explanation, the reader is shown how these methodologies work and how their outcomes may be interpreted. Key features of the book include: - An innovative framework - combining different methodologies and approaches. - A variety of `real-life' examples and case studies - enriches the book for the reader - A set of practical exercises in each chapter - pedagogical and student-focused throughout. The book has a flowing narrative and student-friendly structure which make it accessible to and popular with students, while the discussion of fresh approaches makes it also of interest to experienced researchers. It contains all the ingredients necessary to help the reader attain a solid grasp of analytical and practical challenges to doing effective research in cultural studies today.

"Will be a very useful tool for any student trying to make sense of the vast expanses of contemporary cultural theory and criticism. Well-written and admirably self-reflective, it combines rigorous explications and applications of many of the most influential concepts and theorists." - Lawrence Grossberg, University of North Carolina "Accessible and insightful throughout; offering help to both experienced and inexperienced students of cultural theory. Highly recommended." - John Storey, University of Sunderland Doing Cultural Theory teaches more than just the basics of cultural theory. It unpacks its complexities with real-life examples, and shows readers how to link theory and practice. This book: Offers accessible introductions to how cultural studies has engaged with key theories in structuralism, poststructuralism and postmodernism Teaches straightforward ways of practising these theories so students learn to think for themselves Uses ′practice′ boxes to show students how to apply cultural theory in the real world Guides students through the literature with carefully selected further reading recommendation. Other textbooks only show how others have analyzed and interpreted the world. Doing Cultural Theory takes it a step further and teaches students step-by-step how to do cultural theory for themselves.

Providing a student guide to the process of research and writing for media and cultural studies, the author covers both quantitative and qualitative methods and includes a list of useful library resources and essential Web sites.

How is culture 'lived'? What are the best ways of investigating cultural life? This book offers practical guidance for researching cultural studies.

Presenting students with a how-to guide to doing research in cultural studies, The Practice of Cultural Studies is an original introduction to the field.The book combines clear introductions to the core concepts of cultural studies with a very practical sense of how research in the field actually gets done.