We can do little to escape the experience of the United States of America through many media: TV, pop music, youth culture, Hollywood, fast food. How do these traces and images affect us? Do we internalize them, want to be American? Do we (can we?) resist them? Is our desire for them a symptom of European pop culture's crisis? From black face minstrelsy, rap music and fiction to McDonald's, rock festivals and Star Trek, the cultural conception of America is critically unpacked by contributors from Europe, Israel and the USA. McKay rounds off the picture by offering a comprehensive introduction that explains theoretical approaches to Americanization from the thesis of Yankee cultural imperialism to America as site of liberation or fantasy.

Après une longue période de “purgatoire”, les années Wilson connaissent une regain d’intérêt, et l’ouvrage propose de nouveaux regards sur ces années soixante si ambiguës.

Considered one of the most innovative artists in the history of popular music, John Lennon is also a fascinating example of the relationship between rock music and celebrity. Through investigation of the cultural and historical background of his stardom in England and the United States, this book explores why John Lennon became a much-debated celebrity and why he remains so. Lennon's career from the 1960s until his tragic death in 1980, and even beyond, demonstrates how different expectations articulated by the star, the music industry, the media, and the fans form relations which change in terms of time and place. Using a multidisciplinary approach and intriguing case studies, this book also examines cultural identity, authenticity, and gender in popular music stardom.

This is a collection of non-fiction and media texts which is in line with National Curriculum requirements and is designed to develop students' reading skills in preparation for Key Stage 3 tests. The wide variety of texts, which are arranged in thematic units, includes advertisements, film and television scripts, newspaper articles, leaflets and information texts. Three of the units are intended for incorporation into schemes of work for Year 7, three for Year 8, and three for Year 9.