Latin America has suffered disproportionately during the COVID-19 pandemic. The human impact has been chaotically and catastrophically evident across the three countries we examine here: Colombia, Chile, and México. Those nations were... more
Latin America has suffered disproportionately during the COVID-19 pandemic. The human impact has been chaotically and catastrophically evident across the three countries we examine here: Colombia, Chile, and México. Those nations were already creaking under the effect of generations of neoliberal ideology: their intellectual, political, and ruling-class fractions had long-embraced its core project of redistributing income upwards and privatizing public goods, notably healthcare. In response to that raging inequality, uprisings had occurred through new citizen movements in 2019. They intensified in 2020 and 2021, as citizenship was enacted in powerful ways.
Research Interests:
The goal of this article is to analyze the key elements of the process of reform of Mexico’s telecommunication and broadcast sector in 2013. The historic antecedents that ushered along the development of a model of concentrated power were... more
The goal of this article is to analyze the key elements of the process of reform of Mexico’s telecommunication and broadcast sector in 2013. The historic antecedents that ushered along the development of a model of concentrated power were reviewed and the actions of a few key citizens were revealed as an important counterpoint to this history. That counterpoint was echoed by initiatives from the country’s three political parties and the President. The most significant points of this reform, as well as some of its challenges, are analyzed.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The shopping landscape did not spring up naturally or evolve in response to consumer demand. It had to be built. As a system'of distribution and an environment of persuasion, it had to be organized, planned, fought over, theorized,... more
The shopping landscape did not spring up naturally or evolve in response to consumer demand. It had to be built. As a system'of distribution and an environment of persuasion, it had to be organized, planned, fought over, theorized, and directed, though not without failures and false starts. The United States was the “first country in the world to have an economy of mass production” that pumped out a huge flood of manufactured goods, writes William Leach. But it was also “the first to create the mass con-sumer institutions and ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Abstract Through a content analysis of 532 programs screened on various national television networks in Colombia, this paper examines portrayals of women in the country’s narconovelas, fictional series derived from the telenovela genre... more
Abstract Through a content analysis of 532 programs screened on various national television networks in Colombia, this paper examines portrayals of women in the country’s narconovelas, fictional series derived from the telenovela genre that resonate forcefully with the public. We do so in order to gain a better understanding of their role in representing gender in Colombia. Relevant topics include: the widespread violence against women in a traditional, patriarchal country, the ineffectiveness of policies targeting gender discrimination, and ideologies of machismo and Marianismo. These practices are discussed as factors that may prevent women’s social empowerment and participation in the workforce and politics of the country. Our results show that, as per Colombia’s prevailing social relations, narconovelas demonstrate a gendered power imbalance and mestizo heteronormativity via macho plots that glamorize violence against women. Women are rarely key characters in narconovelas, and when they appear, they are dependent on men, and attain status through men or their families. In addition, the genre represents continuous verbal and physical aggression against women, especially if they belong to ethnic or racial minorities.
Research Interests:
In 2004, I left New York for Los Angeles. I did so for a number of reasons, both hedonistic and professional. One desire was to get closer to the beast, to understand it better. Hence my renting on the street in Venice where Julia Roberts... more
In 2004, I left New York for Los Angeles. I did so for a number of reasons, both hedonistic and professional. One desire was to get closer to the beast, to understand it better. Hence my renting on the street in Venice where Julia Roberts lives. We haven't spotted one another yet, but her people have spoken to my people, and we both know the other one is out there, somewhere. Of course, at some level, I didn't need to move west to understand Hollywood. We all understand it. We have to, given its presence on cinema, computer, telephone, and television screens. Each year, a sixth of the world's population watches the Academy Awards on TV, and more movie tickets are sold than there are people on the planet, while film-going is not even popular by contrast with the computer games and television that are mostly conceived, made, and/or owned-with the latter perhaps the key word-by the California-based studios and subcontractors that we call Hollywood. The very word symbolises ...
Abstract: This paper seeks to do two things. First, at a theoretical/exegetical level, it demonstrates important af nities between Foucault and Marx(ism): I contend that an opposition between them is misplaced, and their work can be... more
Abstract: This paper seeks to do two things. First, at a theoretical/exegetical level, it demonstrates important af nities between Foucault and Marx(ism): I contend that an opposition between them is misplaced, and their work can be fruitfully combined. Support for this position can be found in Foucault's writings on biopower. Second, at an applied level, I draw on biopower to understand the role of the media in the creation of neoliberalism, and their reciprocal relationship. Keywords: Foucault; Marxism; biopower; media; neoliberalism Resumo: Este artigo busca realizar duas coisas. Na primeira, em um nível teórico/exegético, demonstra importantes a nidades entre Foucault e Marx(ismo): eu argumento que uma oposição entre eles é inapropriada, e seus trabalhos podem ser proli camente combinados. Apoio para esta posição pode ser encontrado nos escritos de Foucault, acerca do biopoder. Na segunda, em um nível aplicado, eu me baseio no biopoder para entender o papel da mídia na cria...
Abstract: This paper seeks to do two things. First, at a theoretical/exegetical level, it demonstrates important affinities between Foucault and Marx(ism): I contend that an opposition between them is misplaced, and their work can be... more
Abstract: This paper seeks to do two things. First, at a theoretical/exegetical level, it demonstrates important affinities between Foucault and Marx(ism): I contend that an opposition between them is misplaced, and their work can be fruitfully combined. Support for this position can be found in Foucault’s writings on biopower. Second, at an applied level, I draw on biopower to understand the role of the media in the creation of neoliberalism, and their reciprocal relationship.
Research Interests:
Why is Hollywood so successful? Overwhelming almost every other national cinema and virtually extinguishing foreign cinema in the multicultural United States, Hollywood seems powerful around the globe. This book draws from political... more
Why is Hollywood so successful? Overwhelming almost every other national cinema and virtually extinguishing foreign cinema in the multicultural United States, Hollywood seems powerful around the globe. This book draws from political economy, cultural studies, and cultural policy analysis to highlight the material factors underlining this apparent artistic success. This new edition brings the arguments completely up-to-date by taking into consideration important developments such as 9/11, shifts in the exchange rate, transformations in U.S. foreign policy, and significant developments in trade agreements, consumer technology, and ownership regimes. Each chapter has been substantially revised, and major new sections on India and China have been added.
Research Interests:
In 2004, I left New York for Los Angeles. I did so for a number of reasons, both hedonistic and professional. One desire was to get closer to the beast, to understand it better. Hence my renting on the street in Venice where Julia Roberts... more
In 2004, I left New York for Los Angeles. I did so for a number of reasons, both hedonistic and professional. One desire was to get closer to the beast, to understand it better. Hence my renting on the street in Venice where Julia Roberts lives. We haven't spotted one another yet, but her people have spoken to my people, and we both know the other one is out there, somewhere. Of course, at some level, I didn't need to move west to understand Hollywood. We all understand it. We have to, given its presence on cinema, computer, telephone, and television screens. Each year, a sixth of the world's population watches the Academy Awards on TV, and more movie tickets are sold than there are people on the planet, while film-going is not even popular by contrast with the computer games and television that are mostly conceived, made, and/or owned-with the latter perhaps the key word-by the California-based studios and subcontractors that we call Hollywood. The very word symbolises ...
Research Interests:
Abstract: This paper seeks to do two things. First, at a theoretical/exegetical level, it demonstrates important af nities between Foucault and Marx(ism): I contend that an opposition between them is misplaced, and their work can be... more
Abstract: This paper seeks to do two things. First, at a theoretical/exegetical level, it demonstrates important af nities between Foucault and Marx(ism): I contend that an opposition between them is misplaced, and their work can be fruitfully combined. Support for this position can be found in Foucault's writings on biopower. Second, at an applied level, I draw on biopower to understand the role of the media in the creation of neoliberalism, and their reciprocal relationship. Keywords: Foucault; Marxism; biopower; media; neoliberalism Resumo: Este artigo busca realizar duas coisas. Na primeira, em um nível teórico/exegético, demonstra importantes a nidades entre Foucault e Marx(ismo): eu argumento que uma oposição entre eles é inapropriada, e seus trabalhos podem ser proli camente combinados. Apoio para esta posição pode ser encontrado nos escritos de Foucault, acerca do biopoder. Na segunda, em um nível aplicado, eu me baseio no biopoder para entender o papel da mídia na cria...
Abstract: This paper seeks to do two things. First, at a theoretical/exegetical level, it demonstrates important affinities between Foucault and Marx(ism): I contend that an opposition between them is misplaced, and their work can be... more
Abstract: This paper seeks to do two things. First, at a theoretical/exegetical level, it demonstrates important affinities between Foucault and Marx(ism): I contend that an opposition between them is misplaced, and their work can be fruitfully combined. Support for this position can be found in Foucault’s writings on biopower. Second, at an applied level, I draw on biopower to understand the role of the media in the creation of neoliberalism, and their reciprocal relationship.
Research Interests:
Why is Hollywood so successful? Overwhelming almost every other national cinema and virtually extinguishing foreign cinema in the multicultural United States, Hollywood seems powerful around the globe. This book draws from political... more
Why is Hollywood so successful? Overwhelming almost every other national cinema and virtually extinguishing foreign cinema in the multicultural United States, Hollywood seems powerful around the globe. This book draws from political economy, cultural studies, and cultural policy analysis to highlight the material factors underlining this apparent artistic success. This new edition brings the arguments completely up-to-date by taking into consideration important developments such as 9/11, shifts in the exchange rate, transformations in U.S. foreign policy, and significant developments in trade agreements, consumer technology, and ownership regimes. Each chapter has been substantially revised, and major new sections on India and China have been added.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
La ecología de medios ha generado una reflexión importante de la díada tecnología-sociedad. Sin embargo, a pesar de acuñar un concepto relacionado con el medio ambiente, diferentes autores han cuestionado que dicho campo... more
La ecología de medios ha generado una reflexión importante de la díada tecnología-sociedad. Sin embargo, a pesar de acuñar un concepto relacionado con el medio ambiente, diferentes autores han cuestionado que dicho campo multidisciplinario no haya derivado en ningún aporte importante relacionado con el contexto ambiental. Respecto de la ecología de medios, las tecnologías han causado un impacto definitivo sobre el planeta. No obstante, recientes tendencias en la investigación en comunicación conceptúan que este cambio trasciende lo simbólico y se instala en lo material con consecuencias serias en los ecosistemas, en los seres vivos y en la sostenibilidad del planeta. Utilizando como base los planteamientos del filósofo noruego Arne Naess, el presente artículo intenta contribuir a subsanar la deuda pendiente que tiene la ecología de medios con el contexto ambiental. Para propiciar esta reflexión, extendemos la metáfora de la ecología de medios a la ecología profunda de medios para a ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Livre: Greening the media (hardback) MAXWELL Richard, MILLER Toby.
Like most folks on the cultural left who are concerned with such matters, I have long felt ambivalent about investigations into media effects. When I look at the data on the impact of product placement and advertising, where correlations... more
Like most folks on the cultural left who are concerned with such matters, I have long felt ambivalent about investigations into media effects. When I look at the data on the impact of product placement and advertising, where correlations between campaigns and purchases can be arrived at quite easily, I have little doubt that there is a link. But when claims are made about ties between violence on-and off-screen, I am rather dubious about the seemingly endless cycle of public-policy panic, research funding, and academic sucking. ...
Research Interests:
Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies ... EDITORS Panizza Allmark, Edith Cowan University Mark Gibson, Monash University Greg Noble, University of Western Sydney CONTRIBUTING EDITORS North America Andrew Calabrese, University of... more
Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies ... EDITORS Panizza Allmark, Edith Cowan University Mark Gibson, Monash University Greg Noble, University of Western Sydney CONTRIBUTING EDITORS North America Andrew Calabrese, University of Colorado, USA Europe Sara Gwenllian-Jones, Cardiff University, UK REVIEWS EDITOR Rod Giblett, Edith Cowan University PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Talhy Stotzer, Edith Cowan University EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jude Elund EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Matthew Allen, Curtin University of Technology, ...
This paper seeks to do two things. First, at a theoretical/exegetical level, it demonstrates important affinities between Foucault and Marx(ism): I contend that an opposition between them is misplaced, and their work can be fruitfully... more
This paper seeks to do two things. First, at a theoretical/exegetical level, it demonstrates important affinities between Foucault and Marx(ism): I contend that an opposition between them is misplaced, and their work can be fruitfully combined. Support for this position can be found in Foucault's writings on biopower. Second, at an applied level, I draw on biopower to understand the role of the media in the creation of neoliberalism, and their reciprocal relationship.
Research Interests:
Perhaps the most basic network in modern life is the division of labor. It certainly rates alongside family, school, and town. That inexorably leads to a discussion of how resources are allocated within this division, who exercizes power,... more
Perhaps the most basic network in modern life is the division of labor. It certainly rates alongside family, school, and town. That inexorably leads to a discussion of how resources are allocated within this division, who exercizes power, and what happens when the network meets a seemingly natural or unnatural end. For networks that may appear extremely stable can come to abrupt or scheduled conclusions, when a company goes bankrupt or a school cohort breaks up. This article briefly examines the history of the division of labor, with particular reference to culture and to its internationalization, concluding with a brief discussion of how short-term networks can lead to the exploitation of workers and have a devastating ecological impact.
Research Interests:
Of course, at some level, I didn’t need to move west to understand Hollywood. We all understand it. We have to, given its presence on cinema, computer, telephone, and television screens. Each year, a sixth of the world’s population... more
Of course, at some level, I didn’t need to move west to understand Hollywood. We all understand it. We have to, given its presence on cinema, computer, telephone, and television screens. Each year, a sixth of the world’s population watches the Academy Awards on TV, and more movie tickets are sold than there are people on the planet, while film-going is not even popular by contrast with the computer games and television that are mostly conceived, made, and/or owned — with the latter perhaps the key word — by the California-based studios and sub-contractors that we call Hollywood. The very word symbolises an invitation to replication and domination, an invitation both desired and disavowed. The money made in Hollywood continues to be astronomical, transcending even the aerospace industry as the largest export industry the U.S. has.
Research Interests: History and Communication
My title comes from remarks made to the then-President and Chief Operating Officer of NBC, Andrew Lack, on the links of corporate America in 2002. Perhaps they were passed affably, perhaps coquettishly. NBC had just invested in Telemundo,... more
My title comes from remarks made to the then-President and Chief Operating Officer of NBC, Andrew Lack, on the links of corporate America in 2002. Perhaps they were passed affably, perhaps coquettishly. NBC had just invested in Telemundo, a Yanqui Spanish-language TV network. Lack reflected on the reaction from other anglo parlantes like this: “‘It’s a little unsettling when you’ve spent close to $3 billion and people come up to you and say, ‘So, you’re serious about this Spanish thing?’” (quoted in Romano, 2002). As with the bourgeois US media, so with most of its scholarship. Must we keep reading, ramifying, and ratifying the dominance of the English language in academia by requiring everyone to write in this language in order to “count” (Miller, 2013)? That hegemony means that people from major and minor scholarly institutions alike will not understand many significant theorists and analysts—unless their work is translated. It’s really a wonderful, as much as a “Spanish,” thing t...
This paper seeks to do two things. First, at a theoretical/exegetical level, it demonstrates important affinities between Foucault and Marx(ism): I contend that an opposition between them is misplaced, and their work can be fruitfully... more
This paper seeks to do two things. First, at a theoretical/exegetical level, it demonstrates important affinities between Foucault and Marx(ism): I contend that an opposition between them is misplaced, and their work can be fruitfully combined. Support for this position can be found in Foucault’s writings on biopower. Second, at an applied level, I draw on biopower to understand the role of the media in the creation of neoliberalism, and their reciprocal relationship.
After seeing electricity, I lost interest in nature. Not up to date enough. ~ Vladimir Mayakovsky
Research Interests:
My focus here is on contingent academic labor, a phenomenon explained by Antonio Negri (2007) in his re-signification of that otherwise rather forgettable Reaganite futurist Alvin Toffler’s (1983) idea of the cognitariat. Negri uses the... more
My focus here is on contingent academic labor, a phenomenon explained by Antonio Negri (2007) in his re-signification of that otherwise rather forgettable Reaganite futurist Alvin Toffler’s (1983) idea of the cognitariat. Negri uses the concept to describe people who are mired in casualized work, but have heady educational qualifications and an easy facility with communication and cultural technologies. They live at the complex interstices of capital, education, and government, and they do so under the sign of cybertarianism…
Flash Quiz: What do WikiLeaks’ narcissist-in-chief and the United States Navy have in common? Flash Answer: Apart from a fascination with diplomatic cables and media attention, they’re both interested in trademarks.
In keeping with academia’s place as one of society’s principal sources of authority, it has a hard time acknowledging the value of popular culture. This negative attitude goes back a very long way: writing in the 1st century AD, Plutarch... more
In keeping with academia’s place as one of society’s principal sources of authority, it has a hard time acknowledging the value of popular culture. This negative attitude goes back a very long way: writing in the 1st century AD, Plutarch recounts the great lawmaker Solon telling a play’s author, Thespis: “if we allow ourselves to praise and honour make-believe like this, the next thing will be to find it creeping into our serious business.”
This essay draws on scholarly and public-policy literature, along with personal experience, to examine academic publishing in the global North, especially the United States. It does so in the hope of interesting academic readers, writers,... more
This essay draws on scholarly and public-policy literature, along with personal experience, to examine academic publishing in the global North, especially the United States. It does so in the hope of interesting academic readers, writers, presses, and distributors. The piece is idiosyncratic in its blend of impressionistic experience with, let us say, book learning.
Research Interests:
The general subject of this analysis is the presence of myths on social media, a heritage of the previous century’s mass culture, and in particular, for social movements. Social movements within networked communication are particularly... more
The general subject of this analysis is the presence of myths on social media, a heritage of the previous century’s mass culture, and in particular, for social movements. Social movements within networked communication are particularly endowed with mythologies, which draw on mass culture and on societies’ archetypal and psychological backgrounds. This fact justifies the hypothesis that the most effective and popular social movements resort to deeper mythological forms. The specific objective is to describe concrete myths in the language of digital social movements and to review the aspects of mythology in the scholarly literature on mythology from four fields. After tracing contents and impact, a qualitative analysis, focused on two examples justified by their digital origin, is performed: the “Anonymous” movement and “Je Suis Charlie” social mobilisation. Results show the persistence of two mythological motives: the profound hero’s monomyth, playing an essential identifying role, c...