Unthinking Eurocentrism explores issues of Eurocentrism and multiculturalism in relation to popular culture, film and the mass media. The book 'multiculturalizes' media studies by looking at Hollywood movie genres such as the western, the musical and the imperial film from multicultural perspectives, examining issues from the racial politics of casting to colonialist discourse and gender and Empire.
More than just a critique of Eurocentrism and racism, Unthinking Eurocentrism also confirms artistic, cultural and political alternatives, discussing a wide range of non-Eurocentric media including Third World films, rap video and indigenous media. Synthesising literary theory, meida theory and cultural studies to form a challenging interdisciplinary study, the authors argue that current debatess about Eurocentrism and Afrocentrism are merely surface manifestations of a deep-rooted shift: the decolonisation of global culture.
The authors correct eurocentric criticism from media studies in the past by examining Hollywood movie genres such as the western and the musical from a multicultural perspective.
More than just a critique of Eurocentrism and racism, Unthinking Eurocentrism also confirms artistic, cultural and political alternatives, discussing a wide range of non-Eurocentric media including Third World films, rap video and indigenous media. Synthesising literary theory, meida theory and cultural studies to form a challenging interdisciplinary study, the authors argue that current debatess about Eurocentrism and Afrocentrism are merely surface manifestations of a deep-rooted shift: the decolonisation of global culture.
The authors correct eurocentric criticism from media studies in the past by examining Hollywood movie genres such as the western and the musical from a multicultural perspective.
"Unthinking Eurocentrism was so refreshing because of the confidence of its eclecticism, the forcefulness of its arguments, the range of its geographical and linguistic materials, and the way it brought indigenous issues to the centre of political and intellectual debate. The obligation to 'unthink Eurocentrism' has not diminished in the last twenty years, so the 2014 edition is welcome, with the new Afterword amply demonstrating that Shohat and Stam have lost none of their stamina or their lucidity. Readers' horizons will again be broadened."
Peter Hulme, Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies, University of Essex
"Unthinking Eurocentrism was a hugely influential book, and remains so twenty years later. It informed my approach to the study of film from early on, in conveying how film and media countersign ideology and the subtle workings of social consciousness. It taught me to approach film not solely as text, but first and foremost as context; to focus on film culture and mediated discourse. Unthinking Eurocentrism's utter exuberance of referencing was particularly inspirational. Confidently flowing and cutting across cultures and discourses whilst revealing patterns of othering and orientalisation that work throughout the world, both outside and within Europe, it motivates and excites. This is how I want all writing on film to be: rich and intense. It is a book that shaped, and continues shaping, all my work."
Dina Iordanova, Professor of Global Cinema and Creative Cultures and Director of the Centre for Film Studies, University of St. Andrews
Peter Hulme, Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies, University of Essex
"Unthinking Eurocentrism was a hugely influential book, and remains so twenty years later. It informed my approach to the study of film from early on, in conveying how film and media countersign ideology and the subtle workings of social consciousness. It taught me to approach film not solely as text, but first and foremost as context; to focus on film culture and mediated discourse. Unthinking Eurocentrism's utter exuberance of referencing was particularly inspirational. Confidently flowing and cutting across cultures and discourses whilst revealing patterns of othering and orientalisation that work throughout the world, both outside and within Europe, it motivates and excites. This is how I want all writing on film to be: rich and intense. It is a book that shaped, and continues shaping, all my work."
Dina Iordanova, Professor of Global Cinema and Creative Cultures and Director of the Centre for Film Studies, University of St. Andrews