Dan Hassler-Forest is een academicus op het gebied van media- en cultuurstudies wiens werk zich verdiept in de ingewikkelde verbanden tussen mediaconvergentie, genrecinema en kritische theorie. Zijn fascinatie voor de ondoden, met name zombies, stelt hem in staat bredere maatschappelijke angsten en culturele verschuivingen te onderzoeken. Hassler-Forests academische benadering wordt gekenmerkt door een scherpe analytische geest, die complexe theoretische kaders met duidelijkheid en inzicht ontleedt.
From Tolkien to Star Trek and from Game of Thrones to The Walking Dead, imaginary worlds in fantastic genres offer highly detailed political worlds beyond capitalism. This book examines the complex ways in which these popular storyworlds offer valuable conceptual tools for anti-capitalist participatory politics.
Singer. Dancer. Movie star. Activist. Queer icon. Afrofuturist. Working class heroine. Time traveler. Prophet. Feminist. Android. Dirty Computer. Janelle Monáe is all these things and more, making her one of the most fascinating artists to emerge in the twenty-first century. This provocative new study explores how Monáe’s work has connected different media platforms to strengthen and enhance new movements in art, theory, and politics. It considers not only Monáe’s groundbreaking albums The ArchAndroid , The Electric Lady , and Dirty Computer , but also Monáe’s work as an actress in such films as Hidden Figures and Antebellum , as well as her soundtrack appearances in socially-engaged projects ranging from I May Destroy You to Us . Examining Monáe as a cultural icon whose work is profoundly intersectional, this book maps how she is actively reshaping discourses around race, gender, sexuality, and capitalism. Tracing Monáe’s performances of joy, desire, pain, and hope across a wide range of media forms, it shows how she imagines Afrofuturist, posthumanist, and postcapitalist utopias, while remaining grounded in the realities of being a Black woman in a white-dominated industry. This is an exciting introduction to an audacious innovator whose work offers us fresh ways to talk about identity, desire, and power.
The blockbuster superhero movie: popular entertainment or capitalist propaganda? This book investigates the 21st-century superhero's underlying political agenda.
Janelle Monáe's artistic journey is explored through her innovative music, fashion, and identity. The book delves into her unique blend of genres, challenging societal norms and embracing themes of race, gender, and sexuality. It examines her impact on contemporary culture and the ways she uses her platform to advocate for social justice. Through a critical lens, the narrative highlights her contributions to the music industry and her role as a cultural icon, making it a compelling read for fans and scholars alike.