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This fascinating and lucid book provides an overview of the ways in which social theories of contemporary society have tried to deal with the place of the media in the production and reproduction of culture. Nick Stevenson illuminates the relationship between general social theory and the range of communication theories of the medium and the message - concepts of media production, communication and reception.

Understanding Media Cultures highlights the work of individual theorists including Raymond Williams, Stuart Hall, J[um]urgen Habermas, Marshall McLuhan, Frederic Jameson and Jean Baudrillard. The author also covers important traditions of media analysis from feminism, cultural studies and audience research. Showing how these theories can be seen as crucial in understanding contemporary societies and cultures, Nick Stevenson invites a reappraisal of issues as varied as concepts of ideology, structure and agency and of the role of the media in questions of ethics and citizenship.

`Nick Stevenson presents a comprehensive overview of major critical approaches to understanding media cultures. Those interested in understanding contemporary debates over the media should find this book to be extremely valuable' - Douglas Kellner, University of Texas