(P/B) WALTER BENJAMIN AND THE MEDIA

Παρουσίαση

Walter Benjamin (1892-1940), one of the most original and perceptive thinkers of the twentieth century, offered a unique insight into the profound impact of the media on modern society. Jaeho Kang's book offers a lucid introduction to Benjamin's theory of the media and its continuing relevance today.
The book provides a systematic and close reading of Benjamin's critical and provocative writings on the intersection between media - from print to electronic - and modern experience, with reference to the information industry, the urban spectacle, and the aesthetic politics. Bringing Benjamin's thought into a critical constellation with contemporary media theorists such as Marshall McLuhan and Jean Baudrillard, the book helps students understand the implications of Benjamin's work for media studies today and how they can apply his distinctive ideas to contemporary media culture.
Kang's book leads to a fresh appreciation of Benjamin's work and new insight into critical theoretical approaches to media. The book will be of particular interest to students and researchers not only in media and communication studies but also in cultural studies, film studies and social theory, who are seeking a readable overview of Benjamin's rich yet complex writings. (From the publisher)

Περιεχόμενα

Chapter 1. Introducing Dr Benjamin
1. There and Then, Here and Now
2. Figuring Benjamin
3. Configuring Benjamin
Chapter 2. The Crisis of Communication and the Information Industry
Introduction
1. Storytelling and the Crisis of the Novel
2. The Newspaper and the Information Industry
3. The Intellectuals in the Age of Mass Media
Conclusion
Chapter 3. Radio and Mediated Storytelling
Introduction
1. Toward a Critical Sociology of the Audience
2. Radio Model
3. Some Motifs for Media Pedagogy
Conclusion
Chapter 4. Art and Politics in the Age of their Technological Reproducibility
Introduction
1. Photographic Reproducibility
2. The Media Culture of Distraction
3. Media and Democracy
Conclusion
Chapter 5. The Media City: Reading The Arcades Project
Introduction
1. Phantasmagorias of Modernity
2. Media Spectacle and Urban Space
3. Tactility of Media Critic
Conclusion
Chapter 6. Conclusion: The Actuality of Benjamin's Media Critique