Sociology of popular entertainment

“Red Laughter”: On Refined Weapons of Soviet Jesters

by Serguei Alex. Oushakine (Сергей Ушакин)

Social Research Vol. 79 : No.1 : Spring 2012

"Frequencies: Istanbul's Multiple Forms of Sounds": Short Film and Conference Discussion

by Volkan Aytar

"Frequencies: Istanbul's Multiple Forms of Sounds": Short Film and Conference Discussion, Building with Sounds, Conference Proceedings, PUCA (Plan Urbanism, Construction, Architecture), French Ministry of Employment, Social Cohesion and Housing & French Ministry of Transportation andTourism, Paris, 2005

How can one cohabit with sounds? When one talks about culture, it is a little dangerous... How to understand this... more How can one cohabit with sounds? When one talks about culture, it is a little dangerous... How to understand this culture? There are easy means, one could say that culture is simply a civilization. But I talk here about Turkey, and we could fall into the trap of orientalism. Orientalism is rather fixed, but also cyclical. In Istanbul sound spaces, noisy, or silent, or musical spaces, constitute a heterogeneous and rich environment, which integrates the conflicts and contradictions between tradition and modernism, local and international. Some forms appear, which must be explained by the internationalization of modernity. One hears very different styles of music, pop music, "engagé"
forms of popular music (left wing, far-right nationalist, and Islamist variants of "Ozgun Muzik"), but also rock'n'roll, salsa, hip-hop. Istanbul combines a large number of various musical styles, it is a cosmopolitan town with many forms, noises, sounds, and some silences...

«Το λαϊκό στοιχείο στην ελληνική Οπερέττα»

by Manolis Seiragakis

«Το λαϊκό στοιχείο στην ελληνική Οπερέττα», στο πρόγραμμα της Εθνικής Λυρικής Σκηνής για τους Απάχηδες των Αθηνών, Αθήνα 2008, σ. 31-36.

Frequences: Les multiples formes sonores d’Istanbul

by Volkan Aytar

"Frequences: Les multiples formes sonores d’Istanbul,” Film court metrage et intervention, Construire avec les Sons: Les actes du colloque internationale, PUCA - Plan Urbanisme, Construction Architecture, République Française, Ministère de l’Emploi, de la Cohésion sociale et du Logement, Ministère des Transports, de l’Equipement, du Tourisme et de la Mer, Paris, France (2005)

J’aimerais illustrer les sonorités parfois harmonieuses, parfois conflictuelles au sein d’une ville, en prenant en... more J’aimerais illustrer les sonorités parfois harmonieuses, parfois conflictuelles au sein d’une ville, en prenant en compte le silence. En ce qui concerne les paysages sonores, nous avons aussi intégré la notion de bruit dans notre recherche, et les liens entre les sons et les bruits. Nous pouvons parler de la tolérance des gens au bruit dans une ville : les gens vivent avec les sons, parfois ils ne les perçoivent pas, parce qu’ils sont culturellement enveloppés de plusieurs manières. Et il y a également la législation contre la pollution sonore, qui en est à ses débuts.
Comment peut-on cohabiter avec les sons ? Quand on parle de culture, c’est un peu dangereux… Comment comprendre cette culture ? Il y a des moyens faciles, on pourrait dire que la culture est simplement une civilisation. Mais je parle ici de la Turquie, et nous pourrions tomber dans le piège de l’orientalisme. L’orientalisme est assez figé, mais également cyclique. À Istanbul les espaces sonores, les espaces bruyants, ou de silence, ou de musique, constituent un environnement hétérogène et riche, qui intègre les conflits et les contradictions entre la tradition et le modernisme, le local et l’international. Certaines formes apparaissent, qui doivent être expliquées par l’internationalisation de la modernité. Onentend des musiques très différentes, de la musique pop, islamique de gauche ou islamique de droite, mais aussi du rock, de la salsa, du hip-hop. Istanbul combine beaucoup de musiques diverses, c’est une ville cosmopolite avec beaucoup de formes, de bruits, de sons,
et quelques silences…

Σχέσεις του θεάτρου σκιών με τα υπόλοιπα είδη θεάτρου, Η περίοδος του Μεσοπολέμου

by Manolis Seiragakis

«Greek shadow theatre in relation with the rest theatre genres», in Stephanos, honorary volume for the 60 years of Professor Walter Puchner, ERGO, Athens 2008, pp. 1079-1087

"Sociology of Entertainment in Istanbul" (İstanbul'da Eğlencenin Sosyolojisi), BirGün daily newspaper Book Supplement Interview, 12.11.2011

by Volkan Aytar

"Sociology of Entertainment in Istanbul" (İstanbul'da Eğlencenin Sosyolojisi), BirGün daily newspaper Book Supplement Interview, 12.11.2011

"Sociology of Entertainment in Istanbul" (İstanbul'da Eğlencenin Sosyolojisi), BirGün daily newspaper Book... more "Sociology of Entertainment in Istanbul" (İstanbul'da Eğlencenin Sosyolojisi), BirGün daily newspaper Book Supplement Interview on our co-edited book, "Entertainment in Istanbul" Istanbul Bilgi University Press, 12.11.2011

The Terror of Tiny Town: a dwarfsploitation movie with emancipatory value?

by etienne boumans

Submission to Popular Culture Association of Canada Annual Conference 2012. Accepted.

One year prior to the release of the all-time classic “The Wizard of Oz”, featuring the acclaimed Munchkins, Sam... more One year prior to the release of the all-time classic “The Wizard of Oz”, featuring the acclaimed Munchkins, Sam Newfield directed “The Terror of Tiny Town”, advertised as the first 'comedy western with an all-midget cast', starring “Jed Buell’s Midgets”. In this pastiche, conceived as a ‘weapon of mass distraction’ and categorized as a ‘pure exploitation movie’, diminutive actors are riding Shetland ponies and walking under the swinging doors of a local saloon. The “Terror of Tiny Town” is regularly cited among the Worst Movies of All Time. Various works of popular culture contributed to the movie acquiring cult status by recycling its title, re-interpreting its footage or through references in other movies; the film is ubiquitous on the internet and in social networks and blogs. The purpose of my paper is to demonstrate that the movie adapted American western genre stereotypes to a hitherto excluded category of actors and, by analogy to ‘blaxploitation’ movies, may have been instrumental in emancipating the short statured community. Although a black ‘midget’ featured in the film, it discriminated against ‘dwarfs’. It is likely that the absence of a ‘mirror audience’ prevented the movie to giving birth to a genre or even a sequel.

‘Thank god she’s a midget, not a dwarf’: dissociative behaviour of proportional short-statured people constructing a fantasy of normality

by etienne boumans

Submission to Conference on Sensualising Deformity: Communication and Constructions of Monstrous Embodiment @ The University of Edinburgh

In early modern times, dwarfs were considered deformed and, hence, socially discriminated, by average-statured... more In early modern times, dwarfs were considered deformed and, hence, socially discriminated, by average-statured individuals as well as by other little folks we used to call 'midgets', who were conceptualized as “no freaks, no dwarfs but perfectly normal.”
We found that accounts and personal memoirs by hypopituitary little persons suggest that they perceived dwarfs as disproportionate human oddities, monstrosities with grotesque heads, arms and legs, and, therefore, belonging to a different species. Throughout the history of popular entertainment, midgets – who were preferred in show-business - were cast in a way that positively enhanced their status while dwarfs were relegated to the back stage or freak shows.
In search of social acceptance, midgets rejected their impaired self in an attempt to construct a portrayal reinforcing the illusion of normality, fabricated for their audience. This proved somewhat successful, as the public, at least partially, concurred with this fantasy of normality, although the social construction of the midget as (close to) normal rather validated the normality of the audience, eager to rationalize the socio-cultural imagery of marginalized or impaired individuals.
The spectator’s weariness to associate short-statured people to sexual behaviour may stem from a subconscious association of littleness with childishness. Traditionally, achondroplastic dwarfs were depicted as asexual, in line with the aversion of portraying sexual activity of people with disabilities; the more socially accepted midgets were represented as closely resembling the average-statured men and women with their sensuality, sexual desires and activity. In an effort of complaisance to demanding audiences, promoters frequently constructed fallacious midget couples, sometimes accompanied by a narrative involving babies or infants.
In the 1930s, movies challenged the proportional little people’s illusionary world of normality regarding sensuality and sexuality in relation to average-statured people, often portraying a – tragic - love affair between individuals from both sides.

"Ney-Zen Evren Metroda" (Ney-Zen Evren, the Subway Musician) Istanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi (Istanbul Journal of Urban Culture) No: 62, s./p. 59

by Volkan Aytar

"Ney-Zen Evren Metroda" (Ney-Zen Evren, the Subway Musician) Istanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi (Istanbul Journal of Urban Culture) No: 62, s./p. 69 - Published part of Istanbul Journal of Culture's special issue on "Entertainment in Istanbul" this article discussed the story of an Istanbul subway musician who tries to combine Sufi and Zen traditions in his performance.

Published part of Istanbul Journal of Culture's special issue on "Entertainment in Istanbul" this article... more Published part of Istanbul Journal of Culture's special issue on "Entertainment in Istanbul" this article discussed the story of an Istanbul subway musician who tries to combine Sufi and Zen traditions in his performance.

"Coğrafi muğlaklık, köken mitolojisi ve bir 'eğlence periferisi' hikayesi" (Geographical fuzziness, mythology of origins and the story of an 'entertainment periphery') Istanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi (Istanbul Journal of Urban Culture) No: 62, s./p. 55

by Volkan Aytar

"Coğrafi muğlaklık, köken mitolojisi ve bir 'eğlence periferisi' hikayesi" (Geographical fuzziness, mythology of origins and the story of an 'entertainment periphery') Istanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi (Istanbul Journal of Urban Culture) No: 62, s./p. 55 - Published part of Istanbul Journal of Culture's special issue on "Entertainment in Istanbul" this article discusses the story of spatially concentrated 'entertainment periphery' to dismiss Beyoglu/Pera-centrist perspectives to Istanbul's entertainment and leisure consumption.

Published part of Istanbul Journal of Culture's special issue on "Entertainment in Istanbul" this article... more Published part of Istanbul Journal of Culture's special issue on "Entertainment in Istanbul" this article discusses the story of spatially concentrated 'entertainment periphery' to dismiss Beyoglu/Pera-centrist perspectives to Istanbul's entertainment and leisure consumption.

"İstanbul çok hızlı tüketiyor bir soluklanmalı-İtalyan Executive Chef Carlo Bernardini ile İstanbul'da Yemek Kültürü Hakkında" (Istanbul's Food Culture with Italian Executive Chef Carlo Bernardini" Istanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi (Istanbul Journal of Urban Culture) No. 62, s/pp. 80-81

by Volkan Aytar

"İstanbul çok hızlı tüketiyor bir soluklanmalı-İtalyan Executive Chef Carlo Bernardini ile İstanbul'da Yemek Kültürü Hakkında" (Istanbul's Food Culture with Italian Executive Chef Carlo Bernardini" Istanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi (Istanbul Journal of Urban Culture) No. 62, s/pp. 80-81

"İstanbul çok hızlı tüketiyor bir soluklanmalı-İtalyan Executive Chef Carlo Bernardini ile İstanbul'da Yemek... more "İstanbul çok hızlı tüketiyor bir soluklanmalı-İtalyan Executive Chef Carlo Bernardini ile İstanbul'da Yemek Kültürü Hakkında" (Istanbul's Food Culture with Italian Executive Chef Carlo Bernardini" Istanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi (Istanbul Journal of Urban Culture) No. 62, s/pp. 80-81

"Nairobi'den İstanbul'a Dans Eden Bir Aşk Hikayesi" (A Dancing Love Story from Nairobi to Istanbul: Transnational Creative Professionals" Istanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi (Istanbul Journal of Urban Culture) No: 62, s./pp. 82-83.

by Volkan Aytar

"Nairobi'den İstanbul'a Dans Eden Bir Aşk Hikayesi" (A Dancing Love Story from Nairobi to Istanbul: Transnational Creative Professionals" Istanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi (Istanbul Journal of Urban Culture) No: 62, s./pp. 82-83.

"Nairobi'den İstanbul'a Dans Eden Bir Aşk Hikayesi" (A Dancing Love Story from Nairobi to Istanbul:... more "Nairobi'den İstanbul'a Dans Eden Bir Aşk Hikayesi" (A Dancing Love Story from Nairobi to Istanbul: Transnational Creative Professionals" Istanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi (Istanbul Journal of Urban Culture) No: 62, s./pp. 82-83.

"Kültürel Dolaşımın Ulus-Aşırı Aktörleri: DJ'ler" (DJs: Transnational Actors of Cultural Flows" İstanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi (Istanbul Journal of Urban Culture) Sayı/No: 62, Ocak-January 2008, s./pp. 75-79

by Volkan Aytar

"Kültürel Dolaşımın Ulus-Aşırı Aktörleri: DJ'ler" (DJs: Transnational Actors of Cultural Flows" İstanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi (Istanbul Journal of Urban Culture) Sayı/No: 62, Ocak-January 2008, s./pp. 75-79

"Kültürel Dolaşımın Ulus-Aşırı Aktörleri: DJ'ler" (DJs: Transnational Actors of Cultural Flows"... more "Kültürel Dolaşımın Ulus-Aşırı Aktörleri: DJ'ler" (DJs: Transnational Actors of Cultural Flows" İstanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi (Istanbul Journal of Urban Culture) Sayı/No: 62, Ocak-January 2008, s./pp. 75-79

"Eğlence Sektörü Alaturka Esnaf Zihniyetini Aşamadı- Murat Beşer ile Söyleşi" Eğlence Dosyası, İstanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi, Sayı 62, Ocak 2008, s. 48-51.

by Volkan Aytar

"Eğlence Sektörü Alaturka Esnaf Zihniyetini Aşamadı- Murat Beşer ile Söyleşi" Eğlence Dosyası, İstanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi, Sayı 62, Ocak 2008, s. 48-51.

Part of Istanbul Journal of Urban Culture's Special Dossier on Entertainment in Istanbul edited by Volkan Aytar, this... more Part of Istanbul Journal of Urban Culture's Special Dossier on Entertainment in Istanbul edited by Volkan Aytar, this is an interview with music columnist and DJ Murat Beşer, published in Istanbul Journal of Urban Culture, No. 62, January 2008, pp. 48-51

"Düz Eğlenceye Çapraz Bakarken" Eğlence Dosyası Sunum Yazısı, İstanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi, Sayı: 62, Ocak 2008, s. 46-47

by Volkan Aytar

"Düz Eğlenceye Çapraz Bakarken" Eğlence Dosyası Sunum Yazısı, İstanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi, Sayı: 62, Ocak 2008, s. 46-47

"Düz Eğlenceye Çapraz Bakarken" Eğlence Dosyası Sunum Yazısı, İstanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi, Sayı: 62, Ocak... more "Düz Eğlenceye Çapraz Bakarken" Eğlence Dosyası Sunum Yazısı, İstanbul Kent Kültürü Dergisi, Sayı: 62, Ocak 2008, s. 46-47 - Introductory Article of the Istanbul Journal of Urban Culture's Special Dossier on Entertainment in Istanbul No. 62, January 2008, pp. 46-47

" I Want to Believe": A Nethnography of the'X-Philes' Subculture of Consumption

by Robert Kozinets

Kozinets, Robert V. (1997) “‘I Want To Believe’: A Netnography of The X-Philes’ Subculture of Consumption,” Advances in Consumer Research, Volume 24, ed., Merrie Brucks and Deborah J. MacInnis, Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research, 470-475.

Here is the first published mention and development of netnography. Based on a 2006 conference presentation in Tuscon,... more Here is the first published mention and development of netnography. Based on a 2006 conference presentation in Tuscon, AZ at ACR.

Cinema, fumetto e videogioco. Per un'estetica del divertimento

by Elisabetta Di Stefano

published in "The Rope" ("Ritorni al neofigurativo", numero doppio monografico) n. 4/5, 2010, pp. 76-89 (ISBN 9-788889-782194)

Il saggio mette in evidenza i rapporti tra cinema, fumetto e videogioco, generi che hanno spesso tratto ispirazione... more Il saggio mette in evidenza i rapporti tra cinema, fumetto e videogioco, generi che hanno spesso tratto ispirazione l'uno dall'altro, e che presentano un comune stile grafico, in cui la forma prevale sui contenuti, a conferma dell’affermarsi di una nuova estetica figurativa. Tuttavia la relazione tra cinema, fumetto e videogioco, seppur fondata sulla fascinazione visiva della nuova grafica digitale, investe problematiche estetiche più profonde, relative ai rapporti tra cultura alta e cultura popolare. Sulla scia del pragmatismo di John Dewey e di Richard Shusterman, si tenta di dimostrare la dignità della cultura popolare e il valore estetico delle nozioni di “gioco” e di “entertainment”, nozioni che, come dimostrano le recenti tendenze dell’arte interattiva, tendono sempre più a sconfinare dall’ambito del mero divertissement verso la sfera dell’esperienza estetica.

Inharmonious Pursuits: Performing Racism in the Olympic Games

by Sean Edgecomb

In a 1935 radio address, Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic movement, elucidated his concept of... more In a 1935 radio address, Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic movement, elucidated his concept of the religio athletae when he stated, “the ancient as well as the modern Olympic Games have one most important feature in common: they are a religion.” By reconsidering Olympic ceremony as religious ritual, a new avenue of scholarship is opened whereby one may examine the dogma of Olympic performance in context to the history of popular entertainment. My study contrasts and compares the games of St. Louis 1904 and Berlin 1936. While the Berlin games or “Nazi Olympics” have long been remembered for their manipulation of the Thingspiel and nationalistic propaganda to promote white-supremacy, I argue that the often overlooked St. Louis games had a similar agenda, showcased in the performative competitions of “anthropology days” (which exploited “primitives” from around the world to support racial stratification). By engineering the religiosity and charisma of Olympism to support their own hegemonic ideologies, the organizers of the St. Louis and Berlin Games created a racist agenda in the midst of a celebration that was intended to be “a harmonious pursuit of physical, moral, cultural, and artistic excellence.”

“Caterers of the consumed metropolis: Ethnicized tourism and entertainment labourscapes in Istanbul,” in J. Rath (ed.) Tourism, Ethnic Diversity and the City, New York: Routledge (2007).

by Volkan Aytar

This chapter analyses the process of social bifurcation and ethnicization of the labourscape in Istanbul’s globalizing... more This chapter analyses the process of social bifurcation and ethnicization of the labourscape in Istanbul’s globalizing urban tourism and entertainment sector. Tourism in Istanbul is part of a larger amalgamation that includes tourism, entertainment and
leisure settings in the city. This sector, which has risen to prominence in recent decades, has largely been shaped by the changeover in Turkish society to an increasingly diversified consumerism and the transformation of Istanbul into a city of urban consumption – a globalizing tourist and entertainment city catering to both tourists and residents.

Simulacro, catársis y espectáculo mediático en la lucha libre

by Héctor Villarreal

essay
Razón y Palabra, núm. 69, jul.-sep. de 2009

RESUMEN: en este ensayo se ofrece una aproximación histórica a lo que es e implica el espectáculo de la lucha libre en... more RESUMEN: en este ensayo se ofrece una aproximación histórica a lo que es e implica el espectáculo de la lucha libre en el marco de la cultura popular y la cultura masivo- mediática mexicana.

Palabras clave: Deporte-espectáculo, televisión, México, culturas populares, lucha libre