For the inaugural book in our Critical Adventures in New Media series, Douglas Kellner elaborates upon his well known theory which explores how media spectacle can be used as a key to interpreting contemporary culture and politics. Grounded in both cultural and communication theory, Kellner argues that politics, war, news and information, media events (like terrorist attacks or royal weddings), and now democratic uprisings, are currently organized around media spectacles, and demonstrates how and why this has occurred.
Rooting the discussions within key events of 2011 - including the war in Libya, the Arab Uprisings, the wedding of William Windsor to Kate Middleton, the killing of Osama bin Laden, and the Occupy movements - The Time of the Spectacle makes a highly relevant contribution to the field of media and communication studies. It offers a fresh perspective on the theme of contemporary media spectacle and politics by adopting an approach that is based around critical social and cultural theory. This series gives students a strong critical grounding from which to examine new media.
Introduction: The Triumph of the Media Spectacle
The Rise of Media Spectacle
Media Spectacles of the Contemporary Moment
Guy Debord and The Society of the Spectacle
In This Book
Chapter 1: Barack Obama, the Power Elite and Media Spectacle
Media Spectacle, Celebrity, and Contemporary U.S. Politics
Media Spectacle in Election 2008
Politics of the Spectacle in the Contemporary Era
The Obama Presidency and its Challenges
Chapter 2: The North African Arab Uprisings: From Tunisia to Egypt to Libya and Beyond
Sparks in Tunisia
Insurrection in Egypt
The Qaddafi Spectacle
Tumult in the Arab World
The Arab Uprisings and Counterrevolution
Chapter 3: War in Libya: Challenges of Liberal Humanitarian Interventions
Phase One: No-fly Zone
Phase Two: NATO Takes Command
Month Three: Stalemate
The Arab Uprisings and Counterrevolution (continued)
Libyan Rebels Gain Momentum
Libya Month Three: From Stalemate to Endgame?
The NATO Libyan Intervention, the Death of Qaddafi, and the Dilemmas of Liberal-Humanitarian War
Chapter 4: Spectacles of Terror
The Osama Bin Laden Spectacle
The Death of Bin Laden, Terror War, and the Arab Uprising
Obama, Israel, and Avenging Bin Laden
Spectacles of Violence and State Repression in the Middle East, and the Capture of Ratko Mladic, and the CNN/Fox Spectacle of Terror
The Dark Side of the Spectacle: Terror in Norway, the UK Riots, and Ten Years After 9/11
Chapter 5: Theorizing the Contemporary Moment: From the Arab Uprisings Through the Occupy Everywhere!
Media Spectacle and MurdochGate
Barack Obama and the Politics of the Spectacle, Media Spectacle, Al-Jazeera, and the Arab Uprising
From Occupy Wall Street to Occupy Everywhere!
Bibliography
