Celebrity Cultures

An Introduction

Lee Barron author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Sage Publications Ltd

Published:2nd Dec '14

£37.99

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Celebrity Cultures cover

What is celebrity? How do celebrities influence society? Why do we hang on their every word, tweet or status update?

Celebrity Cultures offers a fresh insight into the field of celebrity studies by updating existing debates and exploring recent developments. From the PR campaigns of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger as Governor of California, this book critically evaluates a number of diverse celebrity case-studies and considers what they reveal about contemporary global society. Taking into account issues such as gender, sexuality, ethnicity, economics, politics and the media, the book draws upon a range of cultural theorists including Theodore Adorno and Jean Baudrillard.

Over the course of ten richly illustrated chapters, the book:

  • Draws upon sociology, cultural theory, media analysis and celebrity commentary to explore and re-evaluate the study of celebrity.
  • Examines the international appeal of celebrity including examples from India, China, South Korea and Indonesia.
  • Includes chapter introductions identifying key points and annotated further reading suggestions.

Celebrity Cultures is an invaluable resource for students of celebrity, media and cultural studies.

This book offers an invaluable contribution to the field in bringing together core issues in the study of celebrity in one volume. In synthesising a range of perspectives on celebrity – from the historical, the industrial, the journalistic to the political – the book offers a highly useful introduction to why celebrity matters.

-- Dr Su Holmes

Celebrity Cultures is a wonderfully rich and very well researched examination of the field. It offers a detailed discussion of the origins and histories of celebrity, drawing on a wide range of academic reference points and popular illustrations. The writing is lucid, energetic, and the book is very well organised around a set of key themes and critical issues. Celebrity Cultures will quickly become a key text in the study of celebrity.

-- Sean Red

ISBN: 9781446249277

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 370g

216 pages