Introduction to Cultural Studies - Topics, Concepts, Issues by Aleida Assmann

Introduction to Cultural Studies - Topics, Concepts, Issues Reviews

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  Dorothea

  I read this to review some of the main themes and ideas of cultural studies, and for that, this was absolutely perfect. It may not read like an introduction in the same way as, for example, Chris Barker's hefty tome, but for introduction and review it is really clear and provides a lot of great, pithy moments that help recall summaries of theories and concepts one can read about elsewhere. Its examples are heavily Anglo-centric (which is fine), but it also makes references to the German Kulturwissenschaften context and summarizes theories a bit from that perspective (which is fine, too). Due to its conciseness, it leaves little room for ambiguity or some of the complexity of the ideas, their genealogy, and arguably accuracy. Assmann states that her purview is selective by necessity, so I accept her choices. I disagreed with or was dissatisfied by a few of the statements, but that's why one does not read just one text to make sense of something. This would serve fine as a stand-alone introduction to cultural studies, but as a supplement it is incredibly handy.