Roberta Pearson:Reading Lost: Perspectives on a Hit Television Show
- Paperback 2010, ISBN: 9781845118365
Washington, DC: U.S. Information Agency Alumni Association, 1994. Presumded first edition/first printing. Wraps. Good. Minor damp marks and soiling at bottom corner.. [6], 49, [1] p. 22… More...
Washington, DC: U.S. Information Agency Alumni Association, 1994. Presumded first edition/first printing. Wraps. Good. Minor damp marks and soiling at bottom corner.. [6], 49, [1] p. 22 cm. Illustrations. Chronology. Bibliography The bibliography was prepared by Martin Manning. Published in coordination with The Public Diplomacy Foundation. From Wikipedia: "The United States Information Agency (USIA), which existed from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, USIA's broadcasting functions were moved to the newly created Broadcasting Board of Governors, and its exchange and non-broadcasting information functions were given to the newly created Under Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State. The agency was previously known overseas as the United States Information Service. President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the United States Information Agency in 1953. The USIA's mission was "to understand, inform and influence foreign publics in promotion of the national interest, and to broaden the dialogue between Americans and U.S. institutions, and their counterparts abroad." In 1948, the Smith Mundt Act banned domestic distribution of propaganda intended for foreign audiences, but before 1972, the US government was allowed to distribute expressly domestic propaganda through Congress, independent media and schools. The United States Information Agency (USIA) was established "to streamline the U.S. government's overseas information programs, and make them more effective". The United States Information Agency was the largest full-service public relations organization in the world, spending over $2 billion per year to highlight America s view, while diminishing the Soviet s side through about 150 different countries. Its stated goals were: To explain and advocate U.S. policies in terms that are credible and meaningful in foreign cultures; To provide information about the official policies of the United States, and about the people, values and institutions which influence those policies; To bring the benefits of international engagement to American citizens and institutions by helping them build strong long-term relationships with their counterparts overseas; To advise the President and U.S. government policy-makers on the ways in which foreign attitudes will have a direct bearing on the effectiveness of U.S. policies. Propaganda played a large role in how the United States was viewed by the world during the Cold War. American propagandists felt as though the Hollywood movie industry was destroying the image of the United States in other countries. In response to the negative portrayal of America from communist propaganda the "USIA exist[ed] as much to provide a view of the world to the United States as it [did] to give the world a view of America." The purpose of the USIA within the United States was to ensure Americans that, "[t]he United States was working for a better world." Abroad, the USIA aimed to preserve a positive image of America regardless of negative depictions from communist propaganda. One notable example was Project Pedro, a secretly USIA-funded project to create newsreels in Mexico during the 1950s that portrayed Communism unfavorably and the United States positively. In order to accomplish the advisory portion of its mission, the agency conducted research on foreign public opinion about the U.S. and its policies, in order to inform the president and other key policymakers. The agency did this through public opinion surveys throughout the world. It then issued a variety of reports to government officials, including a twice-daily report on foreign media commentary around the world. From the beginning, Dwight Eisenhower said, audiences would be more receptive to the American message if they were kept from identifying it as propaganda. Avowedly propagandistic materials from the United States might convince few, but the same viewpoints presented by the seemingly independent voices would be more persuasive. According to the Kennedy memorandum, the USIA utilized various forms of media, including "personal contact, radio broadcasting, libraries, book., U.S. Information Agency Alumni Association, 1994, 2.5, Paperback / softback. New. Design History Beyond the Canon subverts hierarchies of taste which have dominated traditional narratives of design history. This book explores a diverse selection of objects, spaces and media, ranging from high design to mass-produced and mass-marketed objects, as well as counter-cultural and sub-cultural material. The authors' research highlights the often marginalized role of gender and racial identity in the production and consumption of design, the politics which underpins design practice and the role of designed objects as pathways of nostalgia and cultural memory. While focused primarily on North American examples from the early 20th century onwards, this collection also features essays examining European and Soviet design history, as well as the influence of Asia and Africa on Western design practice. This book is organised in three thematic sections: 'Consumers', 'Intermediaries' and 'Designers'. The first section analyses a range of designed objects and spaces through the experiences and perspectives of users. The second section considers intermediaries from both technology and cultural industries, as well as the hidden labour within the design process itself. The final section focuses on designers from multiple design disciplines including high fashion, industrial design, interior design, graphic design and design history pedagogy. The essays utilize different research methods and a wide range of theoretical approaches, including feminist theory, critical race theory, spatial theory, material culture studies, science and technology studies and art history. This book brings together the most recent research which stretches beyond the traditional canon and looks to interdisciplinary methodologies to better understand the practice and consumption of design., 6, Paperback / softback. New. "Lost", created by wunderkind JJ Abrams and aired on the US ABC network and Sky in the UK, began in 2004 and ends after its sixth season in 2010. This book not only offers an understanding of the multi-media phenomenon that is "Lost". It also demonstrates how the contemporary American television industry works., 6<
