Politics Go to the Movies: International Relations and Politics in Genre Films and Television

— —

Joel R. Campbell Daryl Bockett

Politics Go to the Movies

International Relations and Politics in Genre Films and Television

Joel R. Campbell, Daryl Bockett, Damien Horigan , Michael Mulvey

$69.99

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Lexington Books
15 May 2024

Electronic, holographic & video art; Films, movies & cinema; International relations

Movies and television series are excellent tools for teaching political science and international relations. Understanding how stories in various film and television genres illustrate political ideas can better assist students and fans understand and appreciate the political subtext of these media products. This book examines politics through five film genres and their variants. Gangster movies focus on American and other organized crime. They reached their zenith in the films of Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese. Political thrillers express paranoia about secrecy and political conspiracies, while action movies channel anger at foreign and domestic threats to order. Superhero films and TV present modern characters who seek to serve society as they face personal struggles about their individual identities. War movies promote positive images of wars when conflicts are perceived as successful, but often include antiwar messages when wars turn out badly. Western movies fell out of favor in the 1970s and 1980s but have undergone a renaissance since the 1990s. Westerns can be taken as either political parables, or as meditations on policing, anarchy, community organization. The author argues that while these genres all offer escape, they also offer important political lessons.

By: Joel R. Campbell
With: Daryl Bockett, Damien Horigan, Michael Mulvey, Barry Pollick
Imprint: Lexington Books
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 232mm, Width: 160mm, Spine: 29mm
Weight: 635g
ISBN: 9781793635181
ISBN 10: 1793635188
Pages: 408
Publication Date: 15 May 2024
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction: Magic in the Dark—and Making the Most of a Dark Time Chapter 1: Politics Go Hollywood: Making Sense of Genre Movies and Politics Chapter 2: Gangsters Give Films and TV an Offer They Can’t Refuse Chapter 3: Politics of Paranoia and Anger: Thriller and Action Movies Chapter 4: Superheroes Save Our Politics and International Relations Chapter 5: Movies Go to War: Shifting Images of Humans’ Most Searing Experience Chapter 6: Let’s Play Cowboys and Politicos: The Imagined West, Society, and Politics Chapter 7: Other Genres, Other Politics: From Love Stories to Religious Movies

Joel R. Campbell is associate professor of political science in the Pacific Region (Japan and South Korea) in the Global Campus program of Troy University.

Reviews for Politics Go to the Movies: International Relations and Politics in Genre Films and Television

This is a creative and effective tool to use film to teach international relations. --Douglas John Becker, University of Southern California This is an amazing read. I just couldn't put the book down. I've never seen a text that so captivatingly explains the relationship of film genres to politics and international relations. Campbell weaves political theory, film criticism, and history into an appealing mix, while keeping the reader engaged with the unfolding development of five film types--gangster, thriller and action, superhero, war, and western movies. His application of constructivism makes perfect sense, as it captures the constantly shifting dynamics of filmed presentations of political and IR issues. His discussions of women in each genre illustrate how various marginalized groups often are not adequately represented on-screen. Finally, he briefly walks the reader through several other genres, showing how politics can be found in almost any kind of movie. Movies are like time capsules, indicating how we think about society and politics in any era, and this book is one of the best in helping students and the general public better understand how it all works. --Hieyeon Keum, University of Seoul