Thinking Popular Culture: War, Terrorism and Writing

This book is about war and popular culture, and war in popular culture. Tara Brabazon summons, probes, questions and reclaims popular culture; challenging the assumptions of war, whiteness, Christianity, modernity and progress that have dominated our lives since September 11.While direct and violent action is justified in the name of a 'War on Terror,' a much more distinct, considered and careful war on ideas is necessary. Thinking Popular Culture is part of this project of persuasion, dialogue, argument and exchange. It offers new ways of thinking and writing, researching and understanding. Unsatisfied by the promises of Web 2.0 and bloggers, Second Life and pseudo-digitized democracy, this book defies those who close libraries and open search engines, and who undermine education while buying a bigger television and smaller mobile phone. The tissues of complicity that bind us into a system of inequality, ignorance and banality requires strong and defiant popular culture to challenge students, teachers and citizens to exceed expectations for writing, reading, watching and listening.Addressing modes of thinking, design, music and visual media, Thinking Popular Culture offers a journey through courageous, interventionist and thoughtful ideas, performers and cultures. It welcomes those who ask difficult questions of those in power. Addressing the lack of imagination and dissent that characterises this new century, it is essential reading for any scholar of cultural studies and popular culture, media and journalism, creative writing and terrorism studies.