Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice - Tapa dura

`One of the things I like about [Cultural Studies] is its comprehensibility; I teach students who speak/read English as a second language. They are quite fluent, but as you know, academic syntax can often be quite obtuse (and there's an example!). All my students told me that they enjoy the text because they feel that they can understand better and hence learn more....Barker's self-reflexivity results in a lot fewer assumptions implicit in the text, and is therefore much more capable of being interpreted across cultures.' -Dr. Sean M. Tierney, School of Journalism and Communication, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Praise for the First Edition:

`This is the best general textbook that has been written on cultural studies to date. Barker covers an enormous amount of material. He explicates key concepts and theories in the field and focuses upon particular issues of contemporary interest. Barker is always fair in his assessment of contrasting arguments and alternative points of view. Cultural Studies - Theory and Practice will enable students to make sense of a complex, fascinating and vital field of study' - Jim McGuigan, University of Loughborough

`It is comprehensive in scope, clearly written, competent and accurate, and yet provides an original and useful perspective on cultural studies as well as an overview of key concepts, methods, topics, and the material of cultural studies' - Doug Kellner, Graduate School of Education, UCLA

`The book is certainly the most wide ranging in the market" and " the book is very popular with students... they believe it represents good value for money because of its comprehensiveness... students appreciate the accessibility of the language and the explanation of difficult theoretical concepts' - Paul Manning Sociology Dept, de Montfort University

Chris Barker has extensively revised and updated his bestselling textbook Cultural Studies, to produce an up-to-date second edition of a book that is already a comprehensive, one-stop guide for students of cultural studies and cultural theory.

Widely adopted in its first edition the Second Edition is even more accessible to the student reader, featuring: two new chapters covering central problems in cultural studies; biology, evolution and culture; additional new material across the original chapters; added pedagogical features including chapter summaries, student exercises, boxed information, and more bullet points; greater clarity of expression; and an expanded glossary of key concepts.

Comprehensive in scope, and authoritative and balanced in its analysis, Cultural Studies maps the field, and guides the reader through all the core topics included on Cultural Studies courses, including: the key concepts in cultural studies; the key figures and schools of thought; the essential methodologies; the historical roots of the subject; the turns toward ideology, language, gender, race and identity; the challenges posed by postmodernism and postcolonialism.

This book is essential reading for all students of Cultural Studies, and the addition of even more student friendly features, will extend its readership.

Chris Barker is a teacher and researcher with over 25 years experience. He has worked in a number of schools and universities in both England and Australia. He is currently Associate Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia. Chris is the author of six previous books that are linked together by an interest in culture, meaning and communication. At present he is exploring questions of emotion in contemporary cultural life.