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The migration of cynical academic ideas about postmodernism into music journalism are traced in this book. The result of this migration is a widespread fatalism over the ability of the music industry to absorb any expression of defiance in popular music. The book synthesizes a number of fields: American and British academic and journalistic music criticism; aesthetic and literary history and theory from romanticism through postmodernism; alternative music such as feminist punk and grunge; political economy, which has fueled the obsession with commercial incorporation; and subcultural sociology.

In this book, Martin Conboy explores the complex and dynamic relationship between the popular press and popular culture. Rejecting approaches to popular culture which restrict themselves to the contemporary, Conboy argues for the importance of an historical perspective in understanding the contemporary relationship between the popular and the press. The Press and Popular Culture offers: · A much-needed critical history of the popular press - from the Early Modern Period to the present day. · A comparative analysis of the emergence of the popular press in the United States and Britain. · An approach to the role played by the popular press in the formation of popular culture which emphasizes the use of language. Moving beyond historical analysis to the present day, the book concludes with an analysis of the popular press in a globalized media environment. Drawing on contemporary examples and discussion from Britain, Europe and the United States enables Conboy to situate the debate outside of the narrow confines of national border, as part of a debate about how the popular is being reconfigured in the popular press as part of a global strategy while retaining its essential appeal to local readerships; and meeting challenges by recombining aspects of its traditional rhetorical appeal.

50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology uses popular myths as a vehicle for helping students and laypersons to distinguish science from pseudoscience. Uses common myths as a vehicle for exploring how to distinguish factual from fictional claims in popular psychology Explores topics that readers will relate to, but often misunderstand, such as 'opposites attract', 'people use only 10% of their brains', and 'handwriting reveals your personality' Provides a 'mythbusting kit' for evaluating folk psychology claims in everyday life Teaches essential critical thinking skills through detailed discussions of each myth Includes over 200 additional psychological myths for readers to explore Contains an Appendix of useful Web Sites for examining psychological myths Features a postscript of remarkable psychological findings that sound like myths but that are true Engaging and accessible writing style that appeals to students and lay readers alike