Michael Jackson (Ashgate Popular and Folk Music Series) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1409446964 ISBN 13: 9781409446965

Publisher: Routledge, 2012

Synopsis

Throughout his 40-year career, Michael Jackson intrigued and captivated public imagination through musical ingenuity, sexual and racial spectacle, savvy publicity stunts, odd behaviours, and a seemingly apolitical (yet always political) offering of popular art. A consistent player on the public stage from the age of eight, his consciousness was no doubt shaped by his countless public appearances, both designed and serendipitous. The artefacts he left behind - music, interviews, books written by and about him, and commercial products including dolls, buttons, posters, and photographs, videos, movies - will all become data in our cultural conversation about who Michael Jackson was, who he wanted to be, who we made him to be, and why. Michael Jackson: Grasping the Spectacle includes essays that aim to understand Jackson from multiple perspectives: critical cultural theory, musicology, art history, media studies, cultural anthropology, sociology, philosophy, religious studies, literary theory, gender studies, performance studies, disability studies, film studies, and African-American studies. Intended for classroom use as well as research and general interest, this book expands our understanding both of this fascinating figure himself and of gender, sexuality, celebrity, and popular culture.

About this title

About the Author

Christopher R. Smit is Associate Professor at the Department of Media Studies, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan in the USA.

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1409446964
• ISBN 13: 9781409446965
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 264
• Editor: Smit ChristopherR.