Media and Cultural Studies

Pill Heads: Governance, Normalization & Risk in Prescription Drug Use

by Kev Dertadian

A copy of the conference proceedings is attached. The paper starts on page 61.

This paper will critically engage the discourses currently informing non-medical use and abuse of, and ‘addiction’ to... more This paper will critically engage the discourses currently informing non-medical use and abuse of, and ‘addiction’ to prescription drugs. As part of the analysis of non-medical prescription drug use the article draws from journalist and prescription painkiller addict Joshua Lyon’s successful 2008 autobiographical book, Pill Head. In particular, it will focus on the growing cultural assumption that an ever-increasing number of afflictions are pharmacologically treatable. This assumption sits behind the general normalization of taking pills, in opposition to the deep stigmatization of chemically similar illegal substances. However, there is new concern about this collective practice of non-prescribed pill-taking. This is a practice which has paradoxically been in part fostered by the pharmaceutical industry and the professional interests that it now appears to threaten. Furthermore, mental illness and addiction discourse ignores the individual agency of those who choose to take medications outside of conventional medical treatment. The paper discusses aspects of user risk-taking and the apparent clash between the practice of chosen pill taking and the deterministic official construction of the non-medical drug using subject.

Successful Icons of Failed Time. Rethinking Post-communist Nostalgia

by Dominik Bartmanski

published in Acta Sociologica 2011

Under what cultural conditions can the relics of symbolically polluted time re-emerge as its purified signifiers and... more Under what cultural conditions can the relics of symbolically polluted time re-emerge as its purified signifiers and culturally successful icons within new circumstances? What does it mean when people articulate ‘nostalgic’ commitments to social reality they have themselves recently jettisoned? Drawing on the ideas of the iconic turn and American cultural sociology, the article offers a new framework for understanding post-communist nostalgia. Specifically, it provides a comparative reinterpretation of the phenomenon of so-called Ostalgie as manifest in the streetscapes of Berlin and its counterpart in Warsaw. One of the key arguments holds that ‘nostalgic’ icons are successful because they play the cultural role of mnemonic bridges to rather than tokens of longing for the failed communist past. In this capacity they forge a communal sense of continuity in the liquid times of systemic transformation. As such, the article contributes to broader debates about meanings of material objects and urban space in relation to collective memory destabilized by liminal temporality.

Anatomy of the Italian Web TV ecosystem. Current issues and future challenges.

by Valentina Bazzarin

Co-authored with Emiliano Trerè

The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the emergent Italian Web TV ecosystem. We begin by sketching a... more The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the emergent Italian Web TV ecosystem. We begin by sketching a summary of the Italian media scenario, focusing on three related aspects: the Rai-Mediaset duopoly, the Berlusconi anomaly and digital revolution of the TV system. We then switch to the Italian digital resistance scenario and describe some of the most interesting experiences developed in the Italian context. In the third part, we dissect and analyze the phenomenon of Italian Web TVs, exploring its roots, legal status, producers and audiences. We conclude by providing a reflection on Italian Web TVs as an ecosystem, both by pointing out some future challenges it will face within the Italian media scenario and by focusing on the role of active citizens and unprofessional producers in changing the scenario and in advocating pluralism and creativeness.

Deception cues in political speeches: verbal and non-verbal traits of prevarication

by Nicla Rossini

In Esposito A. et al. (2011) Analysis of Verbal and Nonverbal Communication and Enactment: The Processing Issue. Lecture Notes in Computer Science 6800, pp. 408-418. Springer-Verlag: Berlin and Heidelberg. Invited chapter.
Please find it on Springer:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/64l056688102q3q2/

N.B.: THIS IS A PRE-PUBLICATION DRAFT. IT MAY CONTAIN ERROS AND DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THE PUBLISHED VERSION. FOR QUOTATION PLEASE ASK ME A COPY OF THE PUBLISHED VERSION OR FIND IT ON SPRINGER.

Deception is a determinant social phenomenon already observed
extensively in the literature of several different... more Deception is a determinant social phenomenon already observed
extensively in the literature of several different research fields. This study presents the analysis of both micro-expressions and voice features in sample TV clips, in order to outline a defined research agenda on the topic.

Exporting anti-Zionism: The delegitimization of Israel in the Iranian Press

by Rusi Jaspal

**FOR A PDF OF FULL PAPER, E-MAIL ME**

Jaspal, R. (under review). Exporting anti-Zionism: The delegitimization of Israel in the Iranian Press. Submitted to Israel Studies.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Anti-Zionism has remained an important ideological building-block of the Islamic... more Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Anti-Zionism has remained an important ideological building-block of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This paper examines the manifestation of anti-Zionism in the English-language Iranian Press in order to elucidate how this ideology is ‘exported’ to an international readership. The paper presents the results of an empirical study of two leading English-language Iranian newspapers: The Tehran Times and Press TV. The study uses critical discourse analysis and draws upon tenets of Social Representations Theory and the notion of Delegitimization from social psychology. The following themes are outlined: (i) “Problematizing Israel’s right to exist”; (ii) “Unveiling the global Zionist conspiracy”; and (iii) “Leading the global anti-Zionism – the declining ‘Zionist regime’”. Both anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic representations are observable in the corpus. The paper identifies three key components of the delegitimization process in textual representations of Israel, and discusses possible implications of outgroup delegitimization for identity, emotion and action.

Keywords: media representations; Iran; Israel; anti-Zionism; prejudice; social representations theory; critical discourse analysis; qualitative; social psychology

Yuen, Nancy Wang. 2009. “The Asian American Vote: How the Media Portrays Race Relations in the 2008 Democratic Primaries.” St. John’s Journal of Legal Commentary, Vol. 24:2, pp. 421-424.

by Nancy Yuen

"Medium, Immediacy, Intermediality": a call for contributions to a proposed special issue of POSTMODERN CULTURE

by Matt Tierney

Co-edited with Mathias Nilges.

We invite submissions for a proposed special issue of Postmodern Culture entitled “Medium, Immediacy, Intermediality.”... more We invite submissions for a proposed special issue of Postmodern Culture entitled “Medium, Immediacy, Intermediality.” The issue aims to gather ways of seeing the term “medium” beyond current disciplinary frames. Rather than take the routes of literary or film studies, art history or communication theory—and rather than see media as discrete, pre-constituted categories of aesthetics or mechanics—we seek to put the category of medium into question, and in doing so, to facilitate approaches to the various mutually dependent media whose boundaries and frames might now seem less conclusive.

A hapless attempt at swimming': Representations of Eric Moussambani

by John Nauright

published in Critical Arts 17:1/2 (2003), 106-122, co-authored with Tara Magdalinski

One of the most powerful images to emerge from the pool at the Sydney 2000 Olympics was that of Eric Moussambani from... more One of the most powerful images to emerge from the pool at the Sydney 2000 Olympics was that of Eric Moussambani from Equatorial Guinea who swam his heat of the 100-meter freestyle alone after the other two swimmers in his heat were disqualified. Moussambani completed the distance over one minute slower than eventual gold medallist Pieter van den Hoogenband. The media coverage of Moussambani's performance illustrates that the discourses of colonialism, paternalism, and racial stereotyping remain central in the modern Olympic movement. This paper analyses media reports of Moussambani and identifies three main frames used to contextualize his performance at the Olympics. We situate Moussambani's swim within a broader framework that reveals the mechanisms used to display African bodies for the European gaze as well as the paternalist Olympic discourse that seeks to universalize Western sporting practices within a global culture that privileges Western cultural and economic practices.

"Did Somebody Say 'Islamophobia'?: An Essay on the American Liberal Understanding of Park51 and the 911-Event"

by Laurie Rodrigues

Some of Badiou and Žižek’s most disquieting claims include their opposition to liberal multiculturalism, tolerance... more Some of Badiou and Žižek’s most disquieting claims include their opposition to liberal multiculturalism, tolerance discourses and particularist “ethics” concerned with respecting the “Other.” This has particular relevance to recent liberal media coverage of the hotly-debated “Islamic Cultural Center” slated to be built near the ground zero of 911 in Manhattan (the Park51 debate). In this article, I argue that the positions of Badiou and Žižek are valuable for examining the seemingly benign, “tolerant” position held by the American liberal Left that purports to be the sole logical, “moderate” stance to assume in this debate. However, this dangerous construction, offers a fallacious notion of choice: one has the “freedom” to choose either a Right or Left-side stance with respect to Park51; however, one risks condemnation if one chooses to stand with the Right. In this article, I will adapt and expand upon Badiou and Žižek’s converging viewpoints in order to fashion an examination of American liberalism’s media presence and its self-conception as the force of “good” within the post-911, “Ground Zero Mosque,” tolerance debates. Ultimately, I aim to show how the Left’s structure of thought within and around the Park51 contention betrays a fundamental infidelity to the 911-event. The proposed building of an Islamic cultural center near ground zero represents a new kind of problem that American, liberal media cannot meet head-on, I propose that we begin to question the central role of tolerating the Other within discourses concerning American “rights.”

"Did Somebody Say 'Islamophobia'?: An Essay on the American Liberal Understanding of Park51 and the 911-Event"

by Laurie Rodrigues

Some of Badiou and Žižek’s most disquieting claims include their opposition to liberal multiculturalism, tolerance... more Some of Badiou and Žižek’s most disquieting claims include their opposition to liberal multiculturalism, tolerance discourses and particularist “ethics” concerned with respecting the “Other.” This has particular relevance to recent liberal media coverage of the hotly-debated “Islamic Cultural Center” slated to be built near the ground zero of 911 in Manhattan (the Park51 debate). In this article, I argue that the positions of Badiou and Žižek are valuable for examining the seemingly benign, “tolerant” position held by the American liberal Left that purports to be the sole logical, “moderate” stance to assume in this debate. However, this dangerous construction, offers a fallacious notion of choice: one has the “freedom” to choose either a Right or Left-side stance with respect to Park51; however, one risks condemnation if one chooses to stand with the Right. In this article, I will adapt and expand upon Badiou and Žižek’s converging viewpoints in order to fashion an examination of American liberalism’s media presence and its self-conception as the force of “good” within the post-911, “Ground Zero Mosque,” tolerance debates. Ultimately, I aim to show how the Left’s structure of thought within and around the Park51 contention betrays a fundamental infidelity to the 911-event. The proposed building of an Islamic cultural center near ground zero represents a new kind of problem that American, liberal media cannot meet head-on, I propose that we begin to question the central role of tolerating the Other within discourses concerning American “rights.”

Popular Culture and Mediated Politics: Intellectuals, Elites

by Jon Simons

Differences in Design: Video Game Design in Pre and Post 9/11 America

by Nicolas LaLone

Graduate Thesis for a Masters of Arts in Sociology

Video games are constructed through a bundle of processes meant to imitate an understanding of the world through the... more Video games are constructed through a bundle of processes meant to imitate an understanding of the world through the associations of the technology used to create a game and a design team. From opening doors to courting a mate, videogames can and do explore a wide variety of societal structures. This thesis presents an examination of the processes that occur within and during the making of 12 action videogames made between the years 1996 and 2006. It examines the intent of game makers by analyzing the content of videogames cross-referenced with fan-produced archival playthroughs of these games. Using the 2001 World Trade Center attacks, a point at which the American collective consciousness changed, I aim to display how local culture influences video games and how video games imitate that change. My preliminary results suggest that video games do typically pull from the local culture. Games from 1996 generally imitate the fear of scientific progress and environmental destruction. By 2005, videogames imitate post-2001 culture through a greater focus on war safety through constant companionship, nesting or development of a living space that is constantly under attack, and antagonists changing from world-conquering leaders or scientists to an unknown, obtusely motivated charismatic enemy. As such, videogames are a means through which sociologists can examine the associations between technology, people as developers, and players. This research has important implications for the current state of public discourse about videogames that is typically focused on negative effects.

Critical Media Literacy: A Pedagogy for New Literacies and Urban Youth

by Jeff Share

Mohammed Choudhury and Jeff Share, "Critical Media Literacy: A Pedagogy for New Literacies and Urban Youth." Voices from the Middle, Volume 19, Number 4, May 2012 by the National Council of Teachers of English.

Using new literacies critically can be an excellent pedagogy for motivating and empowering students who feel alienated... more Using new literacies critically can be an excellent pedagogy for motivating and empowering students who feel alienated from their school and society.  This article describes how one middle school teacher engaged his inner-city English language learners with critical media literacy as a way of making their learning more meaningful and motivating.  The students interviewed and photographed community members, analyzed portrayals in the media of themselves and their neighborhood, and created their own alternative representations of their concerns and findings.  Not only did the students increase their self-esteem and sense of pride in their community, they also demonstrated substantial academic gains in their English language development.

Re-framing [] binge drinking'as calculated hedonism: Empirical evidence from the UK

by Chris Hackley

Re-framing 'Binge Drinking' as Calculated Hedonism- empirical evidence from the UK. / Szmigin, I. ; Bengry-Howell, A. ; Griffin, C. ; Hackley, C. ; Mistral, W. ; Weale, L..

In: International Journal of Drug Policy, Vol. 19, No. 5, 2008, p. 359-366

Abstract
Background: Recent debates on ‘binge drinking’ in the UK have represented the activities of young... more Abstract
Background: Recent debates on ‘binge drinking’ in the UK have represented the activities of young drinkers in urban areas as a particular source of concern, as constituting a threat to law and order, a drain on public health and welfare services and as a source of risk to their own future health and well being. The discourse of moral panic around young people’s ‘binge drinking’ has pervaded popular media, public policy and academic research, often differentiating the excesses of ‘binge drinking’ from ‘normal’ patterns of alcohol consumption, although in practice definitions of ‘binge drinking’ vary considerably. However, recent research in this area has drawn on the notion of ‘calculated hedonism’ to refer to a way of ‘managing’ alcohol consumption that might be viewed as excessive.

Methods: The paper presents a critical analysis of contemporary discourses around ‘binge drinking’ in the British context, highlighting contradictory messages about responsibility and self control in relation to the recent liberalisation of licensing laws and the extensive marketing of alcohol to young people. The paper analyses marketing communications which present drinking as a crucial element in ‘having fun’, and as an important aspect of young people’s social lives. The empirical study involves analysis of focus group discussions and individual interviews with young people aged 18–25 in three areas of Britain: a major city in the West Midlands, a seaside town in the South-West of England and a small market town also in the South-West.

Results: The initial findings present the varied forms and meanings that socialising and drinking took in these young people’s social lives. In particular the results illustrate the ways in which drinking is constituted and managed as a potential source of pleasure.

Conclusion: The paper concludes that the term ‘calculated hedonism’ better describes the behaviour of the young people in this study and in particular the way they manage their pleasure around alcohol, than the emotive term ‘binge drinking’.

Zur Darstellung und Funktion von Taubblindheit im Dokumentarfilm / On the Representation and Function of Deafblindness in Documentary Film

by Larissa Bellina

published in: Institut für Deutsche Gebärdensprache (ed.) 2011 'Das Zeichen. Zeitschrift für Sprache und Kultur Gehörloser', Hamburg: Signum Verlag, 256-280.

"Vor dem Hintergrund eines kulturtheoretischen Modells von Behinderung fragt [Larissa Bellina] nach verschiedenen... more "Vor dem Hintergrund eines kulturtheoretischen Modells von Behinderung fragt [Larissa Bellina] nach verschiedenen Ausprägungen medialer Konstruktion von Behinderung.

Im ersten Teil machen filmische Analysen von Gertrud Davids 'Kulturfilm' 'Sprechende Hände' (1925) sowie Wolfram Seegers Dokumentarfilm 'Taubblind' (2001) Behinderung kenntlich als eine medial markierte Differenz, die sich aus den Wechselwirkungen von Bild und Ton, Bildraum und Bildinhalt sowie aus der Beziehung zwischen Dynamik und Statik ergibt.

In einem zweiten Teil werden asymmetrische Machtverhältnisse im Zuge der Filmproduktion, soziokulturelle Zusammenhänge sowie die Frage nach alternativen Menschenbildern in Bezug auf Taubblindheit beleuchtet.

Der Gewalt ausübenden Narration über Taubblinde wird abschließend eine Reflexion der Sinneshierarchie zur Seite gestellt, welche die methodische Reflexion von Film und dessen Wahrnehmung als audiovisuelles Medium ermöglicht."

Oppositional Politics and the Internet: A Critical/Reconstructive Approach

by Richard Kahn

Co-authored with Doug Kellner, Cultural Politics, Vol. 1., No. 1, 2005

The Regulation and Control of Internet

by Ebru Yetiskin

Human and Unhuman: Review of The Exploit (Galloway and Thacker) and Gamer Theory (Wark)

by T'ai Smith

in Art Journal, vol. 67, no 1 (2008)

The panoptic role of advertising agencies in the production of consumer culture

by Chris Hackley

Hackley, C. (2002) The panoptic role of advertising agencies in the production of consumer cultureConsumption, Markets and Culture, Vol. 5 (3), pp. 211–229

Advertising’s role in promoting an ideology of marketed consumption has been widely commented upon by critical more Advertising’s role in promoting an ideology of marketed consumption has been widely commented upon by critical
theorists yet the mechanisms through which this influence becomes manifest remain relatively under-examined. In
particular there has been no explicit examination of the mediating role of cultural knowledge in the production of
ideologically driven advertising. This paper invokes the panoptic metaphor to position the knowledge gathered by and on behalf of advertising agencies as a major dynamic in the production of consumer culture. The consumer of advertising is a known entity for advertising agencies: the subject is watched, filmed, questioned, recorded, and tracked. Indeed, consumer biography and subjectivity itself has become material that is both produced and consumed by advertising agencies in order to produce culturally constitutive advertising. The paper integrates disparate
literatures to situate knowledge of consumer culture at the hub of advertising’s constitutive ideological influence.

Tiwsakul, R. and Hackley, C. (2009) ‘‘The Meanings of ‘Kod-sa-na-faeng’- Young Adults’ Experiences of Television Product Placement in the UK and Thailand’

by Chris Hackley

Tiwsakul, R. and Hackley, C. (2009) ‘‘The Meanings of ‘Kod-sa-na-faeng’- Young Adults’ Experiences of Television Product Placement in the UK and Thailand’, Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 36 eds. Ann L. McGill and Sharon Shavitt, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 584-586 ISBN 0-915552-63-9