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The Practice of Cultural Studies
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The Practice of Cultural Studies

First Edition

May 2004 | 312 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
`This is a tour de force… It combines luminous discussion of the core conceptual issues of cultural studies, with a hard-headed, practical sense of how research in the field gets done. The result is a seriously smart, comprehensive survey of the whole terrain of cultural studies itself. This is a book on methods which readers will be able to make their own; and which -- uniquely in the genre -- will keep them buzzing' -

Bill Schwarz, Queen Mary University of London

'The Practice of Cultural Studies is an original introduction to the field. It offers a sophisticated "how-to" guide to doing research in cultural studies. From the difficulties of formulating a problem to the unique articulations of specific methodologies in cultural studies, students will find this book both useful and challenging' - Professor Lawrence Grossberg, University of North Carolina

What is distinctive about cultural research? How does one do Cultural Studies? Unlike many other disciplines, cultural studies has not been explict about the nature of its practice. This book aims to redress the balance in favour of those who are studying culture by providing a comprehensive guide to researching and writing. Based on the methods course at Nottingham Trent and addressed to advanced undergraduates, Masters Level students and those just commencing a PhD, this book aims to provide an overview of specific research traditions in cultural studies, whilst also situating those traditions in their historical context.

The Practice of Cultural Studies:

· Identifies the main methods of researching culture

· Demonstrates how theory can inform and enable the practice of research

· Explores the ways in which research practices and methods both produce and are produced by knowledge

· Looks at the implications of the 'cultural turn' for disciplines other than cultural studies

The Practice of Cultural Studies will be an essential text for students of cultural studies and a useful guide to others studying culture in a range of disciplinary contexts across the humanities and social sciences.


 
SECTION I
 
Introduction
 
Cultural Studies and the Study of Culture
Disciplines and Dialogues

 
 
Multiplying Methods
From Pluralism to Combination

 
 
Method and the Researching Self
 
The Research Process: Moments and Strategies
 
SECTION II
 
Theory in the Practice of Research
 
Make Space! Spatial Dimensions in Cultural Research
 
Time Please! Historical Perspectives
 
Culture, Power and the Economic
 
SECTION III
 
Introduction
 
Reading Popular Narratives
From Structure to Context

 
 
Reading Texts of/for Dominance
 
Reading Fictions, Reading Histories
 
SECTION IV
 
Introduction Meetings
 
Researching Others
From Auto/Biography to Ethnography

 
 
Representing the Other
Interpretation and Cultural Readings

 
 
Integrating Methods: From Audiences to Subjectivities

This book covers a wide array of topics regarding the praxis of doing cultural studies. Thus this is work is not only introductory to the basic concepts of cultural studies and its thinking. Its value besides other introduction also lies in very practical approach towards the hands-on problems that young reserachers face e.g. finding a topic, isolation a research question, negotiation oneself within the field an so on. I recommend this book to all my students dealing with questions regarding the study of culture, society or gender.

Mr Lorenz Grünewald
Media Management, Hochschule für Medien, Kommunikation und Wirtschaft
April 7, 2015

An excellent book, highly recommended

Mrs Nadia Dossa
other, University of West London
February 4, 2013

This book is outstanding- I have found students (at MA & beginning PhD level) are inspired by its creative approach and helped by guidelines on structure; not many books do both!

Dr Ann Kaloski-Naylor
Centre for Women's Studies, University of York
February 27, 2012

This useful handbook will be listed as "highly recommended" in my research seminar on "Representing Europe". For this interdisciplinary research seminar, students with diverse disciplinary backgrounds enroll. Despite their enthusiasm for the course, some lack theoretical and methodological know-how about conducting "cultural analysis". For them I have recommended to work through this handbook.

Dr Margriet Van der Waal
Humanities , Groningen University (RuG)
May 11, 2010

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