Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices (Culture, Media and Identities Series) [Paperback]

Stuart Hall (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0761954325 | ISBN-13: 978-0761954323 | Publication Date: April 1, 1997 | Edition: 1

This broad-ranging text offers a comprehensive outline of how visual images, language and discourse work as `systems of representation'.

Individual chapters explore: representation as a signifying practice in a rich diversity of social contexts and institutional sites; the use of photography in the construction of national identity and culture; other cultures in ethnographic museums; fantasies of the racialized `Other' in popular media, film and image; the construction of masculine identities in discourses of consumer culture and advertising; and the gendering of narratives in television soap operas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications & Open University; 1 edition (April 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761954325
• ISBN-13: 978-0761954323
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,512 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars learning about yourself and others, April 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices (Culture, Media and Identities Series) (Paperback)

I read this text for an intro class to Cultural Studies, and I really enjoyed it. Hall discusses the issues of race, gender, and class in our society in many interpretations within this text. He shows how all these three are interconnected, and does so in a fascinating way. The question of how did we become the way we are in society is addressed in various ways through different representations: the media, culture, and ourselves. A lot of historical aspects is presented in this text to give the reader more of an answer to the previous question. This text is great for someone who is into cultural studies, or anyone who is interested in just learning more about themselves and making sense of the society around them.

3.0 out of 5 stars Academic, But Not Terrible, December 26, 2011

By 

JSmalls - See all my reviews

This review is from: Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices (Culture, Media and Identities Series) (Paperback)

If one is going to read about Marxist culture for a university course, Stuart Hall's work is not terrible (and, in places,, quite astute). Yes, he speaks in academic jargon, but his thoughts on "encoding and decoding" and on race are useful for understanding our present moment. In all, his arguments are decent and this work is as good of a place to start as any.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Media Studies Text, November 18, 2011

By 

Ian M. Mckenzie "ian_miles" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices (Culture, Media and Identities Series) (Paperback)

One of my professors used only a section of this text book. It was so compelling that I decided to purchase for my own edification.