Stacy Tackacs

author of "Interrogating Popular Culture"

November 4, 2015

Stacy Takacs is the associate professor and director of American studies at Oklahoma State University, a member of the core faculty in gender and women's studies, and an associate member of the faculty in screen studies. Her research focuses on the intersection of popular and political cultures in contemporary American media. Takacs' work has appeared in journals such as Cultural Critique, Cultural Studies, Quarterly Review of Film & Video, Feminist Media Studies, Critical Studies in Television and Spectator: Journal of Film and Television Criticism. She is the author of two books: "Terrorism TV: Popular Entertainment in Post-9/11 America" (U of Kansas Press, 2012) and "Interrogating Popular Culture" (Routledge, 2014).

"Interrogating Popular Culture: Key Questions" offers an accessible introduction to the study of popular culture, both historical and contemporary. Beginning from the assumption that cultural systems are dynamic, contradictory and hard to pin down, Stacy Takacs explores the field through a survey of important questions, addressing: -Definitions: What is popular culture? How has it developed over time? What functions does it serve? -Method: What is a proper object of study? How should we analyze and interpret popular texts and practices? -Influence: How does popular culture relate to social power and control? -Identity and disposition: How do we relate to popular culture? How does it move and connect us? -Environment: How does popular culture shape the ways we think, feel and act in the world? Illustrated with a wide-variety of case studies, covering everything from medieval spectacle to reality TV, sports fandom and YouTube, "Interrogating Popular Culture" gives students a theoretically rich analytical toolkit for understanding the complex relationship between popular culture, identity and society.

URL: https://library.okstate.edu/news/celebratingbooks/2015/stacy-tackacs

Last Updated: 4 November 2015