The Anthropology of Media: A Reader (Wiley Blackwell Readers in Anthropology) - Softcover

"In its bold presentation of an emergent subfield -- anthropology of media -- this comprehensive collection is a timely resource for students and others interested in cross--cultural research on mass communication. Destined to become a standard text, it explores a wide range of theoretical ideas and spotlights fascinating case studies. Highly recommended!" Harald E. L. Prins, Society for Visual Anthropology (1999--2001) "Provides a unique collection of classic and vanguard, theoretical and substantive studies that demonstrates the centrality of anthropology to contemporary media studies. By a judicious selection of fascinating papers this volume is able to go beyond any single study to reveal the many different ways an anthropology sensitive to political and economic environments can investigate the production, consumption, and consequences of media by creators and users. As such it makes the ideal foundation for teaching a subject that has now clearly come into its own." Daniel Miller, University College London

The Anthropology of Media: A Reader * Brings together key writings in the emergent field of the anthropology of media for the first time* Integrates key themes in the anthropology of media by means of editorial commentary* Explores the theoretical issues that have arisen from ethnographic studies of media offers a critical overview of how mass media represents and constructs both Western and non--Western cultures. Moving beyond earlier anthropological preoccupation with ethnographic film and drawing on the recent explosion of creative studies of culture and media, this volume heralds the emergence of a new field -- the anthropology of media -- and brings its key literature together for the first time.