Friday, April 06, 2007
The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology
Another long-running project emerges this week with the publication in hardback of Blackwell's massive Encyclopedia (US spelling). Edited by G Ritzer (of Macdonaldization fame) and an international team of the great and the good, the Encyclopedia is obviously designed for the US market. It costs about £1000 for the hardback version although there is also an online subscription facility. Contributors get free online access for one year (very useful -- I've downloaded lots of stuff already), and, evidently the relevant volume containing their contribution ( Vol V in my case). Overall, the material in the Encyclopedia seems very good, and I am really pleased to be in such expert company.
My contribution was to discuss 'hegemony and the media'. The term 'hegemony' was used extensively by a particular group of British cultural studies academics based at Birmingham Uni (CCCS) then at the OU. They have been very influential and the work is cited in countless Media, Sociology and Youth/Community Work courses -- and in Sports and Leisure courses too. My contribution was a critical one, picking up on some of the issues raised by their account of how the media work to develop hegemonic values despite appearing to be entirely neutral and 'professional'. Colleagues might know best the most famous contribution -- S.Hall on 'encoding and decoding', or the applied work on media 'moral panic' coverage of 'mugging' in 'Policing the Crisis...'.
I have written some critical work before (e.g. in my 1992 book), and it was nice to return to the issues and see if I still thought the same way, and to pick up on any recent developments.
An additional problem I had in writing my (fairly small) piece was in making it relevant to US readers as well.
Dave Harris
My contribution was to discuss 'hegemony and the media'. The term 'hegemony' was used extensively by a particular group of British cultural studies academics based at Birmingham Uni (CCCS) then at the OU. They have been very influential and the work is cited in countless Media, Sociology and Youth/Community Work courses -- and in Sports and Leisure courses too. My contribution was a critical one, picking up on some of the issues raised by their account of how the media work to develop hegemonic values despite appearing to be entirely neutral and 'professional'. Colleagues might know best the most famous contribution -- S.Hall on 'encoding and decoding', or the applied work on media 'moral panic' coverage of 'mugging' in 'Policing the Crisis...'.
I have written some critical work before (e.g. in my 1992 book), and it was nice to return to the issues and see if I still thought the same way, and to pick up on any recent developments.
An additional problem I had in writing my (fairly small) piece was in making it relevant to US readers as well.
Dave Harris
# posted by A Sociologist : 4:26 AM
