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Title: Teach Yourself Cultural Studies (Teach Yourself) by Will Brooker ISBN: 0-8442-2641-6 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Pub. Date: 11 January, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4 (1 review)

Rating: 4
Summary: An informed and informative breath of fresh air
Comment: To those who have cut their teeth on the ubiquitous Graeme Turner text Teach Yourself Cultural Studies will seem like a breath of fresh air, and is a timely addition to the Cultural Studies canon. The author's confident and innovative approach, coupled with a novel mode of categorisation, makes for a celebration of the maverick image that the discipline currently enjoys within the academy.

Mr. Brooker writes with authority and delivers a lucid exposition on his chosen subject. However, I feel that there are times when the concepts and language are rather esoteric for the level at which the text is aimed - for instance, what beginner or first-level student will know what an amor fati is? Having said that, there are many complex theories requiring simplification and it is testament to Mr. Brooker 's analytical ability that he is able to distil down from an obvious higher knowledge in order to render these accessible.

He manages to demystify through both incisive and insightful interpretations of some of the more arcane theorists, such as Foucault and Bourdieu, at the same time retaining a 'funky' contemporary approach. At all times he is in control of the polemic, leaving the reader free to interpret as s/he sees fit. On a practical level, this process is facilitated by related end-of-chapter reading lists as well as appendices containing further reading and useful website addresses.

It is refreshing to see that, although he acknowledges some of the (by now) hoary old chestnuts of Cultural Studies, such as the Nationwide study and the Jackie phenomenon, he does not dwell there too long but, rather, finds original examples that define his own position within the subject area. That he manages to be both iconoclastic and deferential at the same time demonstrates a unique empathy for popular culture in general, and a personal desire to continue the learning journey.

I, personally, would like to have seen some of the more contentious and contemporary theorists, such as Baudrillard and cyber-feminist Sadie Plant, included within the text but, as the author freely admits, selection is unavoidably subjective. On which note, the book could possibly have done without the sycophantic interview and rather self-indulgent anecdotes towards the end but, I suppose, some students may find new wisdom there.

Aside from these reservations, this is both an informed and informative treatment of what the author acknowledges to be a continuously evolving, almost organic, area of study, dealing as it does essentially with ephemera. He is, therefore, extremely courageous to attempt it. Overall, the success of the text lies in Mr. Brooker's ability to bring a progressive approach to a discipline that is itself constantly progressing, as well as recognising the need to accommodate shifting paradigms. As a result, this reader did more than 'only connect' and now considers herself a Cult Studs consort.