The American Historical Imaginary: Contested Narratives of the Past

Author:   Caroline Guthrie
Publisher:   Rutgers University Press
ISBN:  

9781978818811


Pages:   162
Publication Date:   14 October 2022
Recommended Age:   From 18 to 99 years
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
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The American Historical Imaginary: Contested Narratives of the Past


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Overview

In The American Historical Imaginary: Contested Narratives of the Past in Mass Culture Caroline Guthrie examines the American relationship to versions of the past that are known to be untrue and asks why do these myths persist, and why do so many people hold them so dear? To answer these questions, she examines popular sites where fictional versions of history are formed, played through, and solidified. From television’s reality show winners and time travelers, to the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, to the movies of Quentin Tarantino, this book examines how mass culture imagines and reimagines the most controversial and painful parts of American history. In doing so, Guthrie explores how contemporary ideas of national identity are tied to particular versions of history that valorize white masculinity and ignores oppression and resistance. Through her explanation and analysis of what she calls the historical imaginary, Guthrie offers new ways of attempting to combat harmful myths of the past through the imaginative engagements they have dominated for so long.    

Full Product Details

Author:   Caroline Guthrie
Publisher:   Rutgers University Press
Imprint:   Rutgers University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 0.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.059kg
ISBN:  

9781978818811


ISBN 10:   1978818815
Pages:   162
Publication Date:   14 October 2022
Recommended Age:   From 18 to 99 years
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

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Reviews

For anyone interested in why our national myths have been so intractable, despite constant historical evidence to the contrary, Guthrie's American Historical Imaginary is a must read. Combining skillful close readings of mass cultural texts that engage traumatic historical events of the past, with a bold and ambitious theoretical argument about the centrality of mass culture as the terrain upon which the meanings of the past are negotiated and renegotiated, Guthrie's text is nothing short of pathbreaking. --Alison Landsberg author of Engaging the Past: Mass Culture and the Production of Historical Knowledge


This is a must-read for those interested in understanding the prominent roles that media corporations play in shaping the collective historical imagination, as well as the various strategies that film and media makers implement to critically intervene and challenge the historical status quo. --Novotny Lawrence co-editor of Beyond Blaxploitation For anyone interested in why our national myths have been so intractable, despite constant historical evidence to the contrary, Guthrie's American Historical Imaginary is a must read. Combining skillful close readings of mass cultural texts that engage traumatic historical events of the past, with a bold and ambitious theoretical argument about the centrality of mass culture as the terrain upon which the meanings of the past are negotiated and renegotiated, Guthrie's text is nothing short of pathbreaking. --Alison Landsberg author of Engaging the Past: Mass Culture and the Production of Historical Knowledge


"""For anyone interested in why our national myths have been so intractable, despite constant historical evidence to the contrary, Guthrie’s American Historical Imaginary is a must read. Combining skillful close readings of mass cultural texts that engage traumatic historical events of the past, with a bold and ambitious theoretical argument about the centrality of mass culture as the terrain upon which the meanings of the past are negotiated and renegotiated, Guthrie’s text is nothing short of pathbreaking."" -- Alison Landsberg * author of Engaging the Past: Mass Culture and the Production of Historical Knowledge * “This is a must-read for those interested in understanding the prominent roles that media corporations play in shaping the collective historical imagination, as well as the various strategies that film and media makers implement to critically intervene and challenge the historical status quo.”  -- Novotny Lawrence * co-editor of Beyond Blaxploitation * ""For anyone interested in why our national myths have been so intractable, despite constant historical evidence to the contrary, Guthrie’s American Historical Imaginary is a must read. Combining skillful close readings of mass cultural texts that engage traumatic historical events of the past, with a bold and ambitious theoretical argument about the centrality of mass culture as the terrain upon which the meanings of the past are negotiated and renegotiated, Guthrie’s text is nothing short of pathbreaking."" -- Alison Landsberg * author of Engaging the Past: Mass Culture and the Production of Historical Knowledge * “This is a must-read for those interested in understanding the prominent roles that media corporations play in shaping the collective historical imagination, as well as the various strategies that film and media makers implement to critically intervene and challenge the historical status quo.”  -- Novotny Lawrence * co-editor of Beyond Blaxploitation *"


Author Information

CAROLINE GUTHRIE teaches with the department of communication and the women’s and gender studies program at the College of Charleston in South Carolina.  

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