Celebrity Politics |
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| Author:
| Wheeler, Mark |
| Series title: | Contemporary Political Communication Ser. |
| ISBN: | 978-0-7456-7893-1 |
| Publication Date: | Aug 2013 |
| Publisher: | Polity Press
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| Book Format: | Digital download |
| List Price: | Contact Supplier contact
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Book Description:
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In this new book, Mark Wheeler offers the first in-depth analysis of the history, nature and global reach of celebrity politics today. Celebrity politicians and politicized celebrities have had a profound impact upon the practice of politics and the way in which it is now communicated. New forms of political participation have emerged as a result and the political classes have increasingly absorbed the values of celebrity into their own PR strategies. Celebrity activists,...
More DescriptionIn this new book, Mark Wheeler offers the first in-depth analysis of the history, nature and global reach of celebrity politics today.
Celebrity politicians and politicized celebrities have had a profound impact upon the practice of politics and the way in which it is now communicated. New forms of political participation have emerged as a result and the political classes have increasingly absorbed the values of celebrity into their own PR strategies. Celebrity activists, endorsers, humanitarians and diplomats also play a part in reconfiguring politics for a more fragmented and image-conscious public arena.
In academic circles, celebrity may be viewed as a 'manufactured product'; one fabricated by media exposure so that celebrity activists are no more than 'bards of the powerful.' Mark Wheeler, however, provides a more nuanced critique contending that both celebrity politicians and politicized stars should be defined by their 'affective capacity' to operate within the public sphere. This timely book will be a valuable resource for students of media and communication studies and political science as well as general readers keen to understand the nature and reach of contemporary celebrity culture.