Cultural Studies and Finance Capitalism ─ The Economic Crisis and After

While many discussions of the economic crisis of 2007-2008 have sought to explain the causes of the financial collapse, this volume looks to supplement these accounts by exploring possible alternatives for the post-crisis world in which we now live. However, rather than offering a strictly economic approach, Cultural Studies and Finance Capitalism argues that the crisis was as much cultural as economic, and that any way forward must understand the complex relationship between media, culture and the economy. The chapters in this volume deal with a wide range of themes including celebrity culture, media coverage of the economy, examinations of economic theory and financial markets. They bring together research that combines an historical perspective with a view towards the future of critical cultural and political analysis. In a period marked by anxiety and economic austerity, this volume offers the reader tools for understanding the place and importance of cultural research in the post-crisis era.

This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal Cultural Studies.

Mark Hayward is Assistant Professor in the Department of Global Communications at the American University of Paris, France. His research focuses on television, cultural policy and representations of the economy in popular culture. He has published essays on Modern Italy and Cultural Studies as well as translating several texts from Italian and French.