How does a 'national' popular culture form and grow over time in a nation comprised of immigrants? How have immigrants used popular culture in America; and how has it used them?Immigration and American Popular Culture looks at the relationship between American immigrants and the popular culture industry in the twentieth century. Through a series of case studies; Rachel Rubin and Jeffrey Melnick uncover how specific trends in popular culture—such as portrayals of European immigrants as gangsters in 1930s cinema; the zoot suits of the 1940s; the influence of Jamaican Americans on rap in the 1970s; and cyberpunk and Asian American zines in the1990s—have their roots in the complex socio-political nature of immigration in America.Supplemented by a timeline of key events and extensive suggestions for further reading; Immigration and American Popular Culture offers at once a unique history of twentieth century U.S. immigration and an essential introduction to the major approaches to the study of popular culture. Melnick and Rubin go further to demonstrate how completely and complexly the processes of immigration and cultural production have been intertwined; and how we cannot understand one without the other.
#458569 in Books New York University Press 1999-03-01 1999-03-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .78 x 5.98l; 1.11 #File Name: 0814731279352 pages
Review
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. A must read for the serious student of HistoryBy Robert Stephenson IIIThis is not a historical book; and I think the negative reviews are the result of people trying to read it as such. It is instead an instructional book; which intends to teach the reader about the different methods (houses) of history.Anyone engaged in a serious study of history needs to understand how to read a historical work in two ways. First; you must read in order to acquire the information that the book is presenting; obviously. Second; a reader must analyze how the information is being presented. This includes the analysis of the logical arguments being used; the work being cited as evidence of that argument; and determining the author's bias. (Every author has one; even "objective" authors) Even the decision of what information to include in a historical work is evidence of the author's bias. The failure to take this into account will inevitably mean the failure to fully understand the work you are reading. The various arguments; pieces of evidence; and personal dispositions of the authors who write about a particular subject comprise different methods of historical scholarship; and they will vary from author to author. In other words; the "historiography" of a subject will contain a variety of methods; which this book calls the "houses of history"The intent of this book is to explain these methods; and then provide examples of each. Toward this purpose; the book excels. Acquiring the skill to analyze the historiography of a work is an indispensable skill for the serious student of history.Again this is not a history book. For example; the excerpt presented in the book by E.P Thompson is not necessarily intended to teach the reader about the English working class; but is instead intended to present an example of the Marxist method of history. The reader of this book will gain much more by analyzing the style; bias; and argumentation of each example work than by reading them for their historical value alone.When read in this way; "The Houses of History" will help the reader to develop a more complete understanding of historical works. This book does not teach history; it teaches how to study history; and it does it very well.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Good introduction to historiographyBy Karen P. RhodesHistoriography (writings about the writing of history) is a rather arcane topic; generally of interest only to historians. Even history students roll their eyes at the thought of historiography; but the consideration of the approach to use in writing the history of an event or person is important. Knowing how others have approached their subjects is also important. This review; then; is aimed at history students.The Houses of History gives a good overview; with an example reading; for each of several main historical approaches; including Annales; social history; empiricism; psychohistory (yes; Isaac Asimov fans; we really use this term; but not quite in the way Hari Seldon did. Asimov merely extrapolated from a real school of history).When students take their required course in historiography or theory of history; they may very well find this a required text. I did.In its clarity and its approach; this is one of the better overviews of historical theory.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. this book is a great addition to the history student's personal academic libraryBy steve wattsThis is a must-have book for the serious student of history. In order to study "history" (whatever 'topic' you're getting into); you need to understand the discipline of history itself in order to have a broader appreciation for the historical topic is that you're studying. and to understand the discipline; it helps to understand that there are different approaches to studying history -- similarly to how there are different approaches to literary studies and critiques of a story. And in doing that; this book is a great addition to the history student's personal academic library. This book explores most of a dozen different approaches to historical study. along with each chapter is what i would call a 'case study' on a particular topic; given in a way that supports that chapter's historical approach. This book definitely helps to give the student a broader and more solid understanding of history and how to go about the study of it.
