Transformations: Identity Construction in Contemporary Culture (Paperback)

by Grant David McCracken (Author)
Key Phrases: postmodern transformations, status transformations, swift selves, Martha Stewart, African American, New Yorker (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A provocative, original, and thoughtful writer, someone who addresses topics that are central to our culture from a fresh vantage point, and someone who is willing to challenge orthodoxies--right, left, and center--which prevent theorists of other stripes from seeing what's in front of their eyes." Henry Jenkins, author of Convergence Culture

Review

"A provocative, original, and thoughtful writer, someone who addresses topics that are central to our culture from a fresh vantage point, and someone who is willing to challenge orthodoxies -- right, left, and center -- which prevent theorists of other stripes from seeing what's in front of their eyes." -- Henry Jenkins, author of Convergence Culture

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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (April 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253219574
• ISBN-13: 978-0253219572
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #65,958 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking analysis of the cultural landscape, August 26, 2008

By	Eric Nehrlich "generalist" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm a big fan of Grant McCracken's blog, so I was eagerly anticipating his new book, which postulates that, as he titles his preface, "Entertainment is dead, long live Transformation". Instead of passively watching entertainment, people have become active consumers of the world around them, using ideas from all cultures to drive change within themselves. McCracken traces transformation possibilities throughout history, starting with tribal ritualistic transformations of rites of passage, passing through the industrial conception of working to improve one's social status by imitating the upper class, on to the 50s warring transformations of beatnik dropout culture vs. technophilic "brightwork" culture, and then to the postmodern transformations available to us today. We have moved from a world where one's birth determined one's destiny (sons of tailors became tailors) to one where we reinvent ourselves on an ongoing basis. McCracken takes the reader on a tour of several categories of postmodern transformations, including the capitalistic swift self and the Eastern-philosophy leaning radiant self. I highly recommend this book - it's so dense with new ideas and incisive observations that every few pages I would have to put it down and think for a while.

4.0 out of 5 stars Be someone else--but who? Maybe more than one "self", January 18, 2009

By	Test Maven (Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

The author studies transformation as a contemporary phenomenon. This book is intended for academic audiences, but it's also a fun read.

If you remember "Dress for Success" or watch "What Not to Wear," this book will grab you and keep you turning pages!