The Cultural Intermediaries Reader by Jennifer Smith Maguire

The Cultural Intermediaries Reader by Jennifer Smith Maguire

The first book of its kind in this cutting edge discipline, this is a comprehensive reference text for teaching and research on cultural intermediaries, covering theoretical foundations, methodological approaches, and original case studies of occupations.

In this collection, an array of talented contributors, skilfully brought together by the editors, show how the concept of cultural intermediaries can cast light on cultural production, and on media, culture and society

-- David Hesmondhalgh

Smith Maguire and Matthews offer a rich selection of readings that expose the shadowy underworld of critics, bloggers, tweeters and stylists who have become essential guides to the good life of cultural consumption. Our belief in their sincerity - as well as their expertise - confirms our belief in our own authenticity while creating financial value for their masters. This book is a long overdue examination of how cultural intermediaries work, and how their work supports the new capitalist economy.

 

-- Sharon Zukin
Editors Maguire and Matthews define cultural intermediaries as "the taste makers defining what counts as good taste and cool in today’s marketplace." Their diverse collection of 17 articles, organized into two parts, explores the different mechanisms and empirical accounts of the roles of cultural intermediaries in defining taste and producing meaning as well as identity. The first part is more theoretical, exploring the conceptual and methodological foundations of studying cultural intermediaries. The second part consists of individual case studies that bring together a wide range of intermediaries defining taste, such as advertising, branding, fashion, and popular music. These case studies include some classic works, such as Lynn Pettinger’s essay on clothing and David Wright’s work on bookstores, as well as some new contributions, such as Richard Ocejo’s work on food and drink. Overall, this is a very valuable collection on a timely topic... Of interest to many scholars and students of sociology, work, and culture. -- Y. Besen-Cassino, Montclair State University
This thought-provoking book is easy to read and will interest a wide audience, in or outside the academic field. The case studies raise many new directions for future research, in areas such as automated intermediations and online recommendation systems. -- Nuné Nikoghosyan

Jennifer Smith Maguire is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Management, University of Leicester. Her work on cultural intermediaries has a specific focus on the cultural fields of fitness and wine. Her work has been published in such journals as Consumption, Markets & Culture, International Journal of Cultural Studies, and the European Journal of Cultural Studies, and she is the author of Fit for Consumption: Sociology and the Business of Fitness (2008).     Julian Matthews lectures in the Department of Media and Communication, University of Leicester. His research interests include the cultural work of journalists, news production and the professional mediation of social problems. He is the author of Producing Serious News for Citizen Children: A Study of the BBC’s Children’s Programme , Newsround (2010). He convenes the British Sociological Association Media Study Group and is Communication and Media Section Editor of Sociology Compass.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781446201336
ISBN 10	1446201333
Title	The Cultural Intermediaries Reader
Author	Jennifer Smith Maguire
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Sage Publications Ltd
Year published	2014-08-11
Number of pages	256
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.