Mapping the Beat

One of the most vibrant and exciting new areas of academia inquiry falls under the cross disciplinary category of cultural studies. Within this field, popular music has been commonly analyzed to understand our world through the social dynamics, cultural production and consumption of popular music. Recent works on popular music studies examine the institutional and economic limitations that define popular music. Other works have addressed the textual aspects; representations and symbolic meaning in popular music as reflected in contemporary society. Other books look solely at the phenomenon of fandom and music subcultures. This collection cuts across all these ways of analyzing culture and is done through looking at spaces of noise and places of music. Included in this volume are some of the best cultural theorists and their reflections on modern life through music and representation.

Norma Coates writes on gender and popular music Cynthia Fuchs is Associate Professor of English, Film and Media Studies at George Mason University Andrew Goodwin is Professor of Communication at the University of San Francisco Robert Hanke's work has appeared in many journals, including Public Culture, Critical Studies in Mass Communication, and Public Andrew Herman has taught courses in popular music at Boston College and Drake University, and is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Drake University Tony Kirschner is a doctoral candidate in Communications and Cultural Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Holly Kruse teaches in the Department of Communication at La Salle University in Philadelphia Ramona Liera-Schwichtenberg is Associate Professor of Women's Studies at the Center for Women's Studies, Wichita State University Mark J. V. Olson is a graduate student in the Department of Communication Studies and is affiliated with the University Program in Cultural Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Russell A. Potter teaches at Rhode Island College in Providence, Rhode Island David Sanjek is the Director of Archives for Broadcast Music Inc. He is the U.S. Chair of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music. He also serves on the Archives and Preservation Committee of the National Academy of Performing Arts and Sciences John Sloop is Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Vanderbilt University Thomas Swiss has published criticism in such journals as Postmodern Culture, Popular Music, and The New England Review. He is Center for the Humanities Professor of English at Drake University where he teaches courses on music and contemporary culture Steve Waksman is writing a cultural history of the electric guitar. He is currently working in the American Studies program at the University of Minnesota Deena Weinstein, professor at DePaul University, specializes in cultural sociology and has taught a Sociology of Rock course for over a dozen years Sheila Whiteley is head of Research and Postgraduate Studies in the Department of Popular Music, Salford University, England