A World in Chaos: Social Crisis and the Rise of Postmodern Cinema

A World in Chaos: Social Crisis and the Rise of Postmodern Cinema traces the evolution of postmodern cinema through its multiple and overlapping expressions. Through an analysis of films such as American Beauty, Blade Runner, Natural Born Killers, and Thelma and Loiuse, Carl Boggs and Thomas Pollard explore the historical and theoretical shift from the long era of modernity to an emergent postmodernity and examine its intersection with film culture. Unlike most works on media studies, Boggs and Pollard bring together elements of sociology, history, economics, literature, communications, and pop culture to fully explore the complex developmental interaction between film and society. The resulting work illuminates the different, often conflicted and contradictory, currents at work in the film industry that long ago departed from the ritualized practices of the classical studio system. Engagingly and clearly written, A World in Chaos is perfect for film and pop culture enthusiasts as well as everyone interested in the role of film in American society.

Carl Boggs is professor in the School of Arts and Sciences at National University. His previous books include The End of Politics: Corporate Power and the Decline of the Public Sphere, The Socialist Tradition: From Crisis to Decline, and Intellectuals and the Crisis of Modernity. Thomas Pollard is also professor in the School of Arts and Sciences at National University, where he specializes in pop culture and literature.