From Media Systems to Media Cultures: Understanding Socialist Television (Communication, Society and Politics)

In From Media Systems To Media Cultures: Understanding Socialist Television, Sabina Mihelj And Simon Huxtable Delve Into The Fascinating World Of Television Under Communism, Using It To Test A New Framework For Comparative Media Analysis. To Understand The Societal Consequences Of Mass Communication, The Authors Argue That We Need To Move Beyond The Analysis Of Media Systems, And Instead Focus On The Role Of The Media In Shaping Cultural Ideals And Narratives, Everyday Practices And Routines. Drawing On A Wealth Of Original Data Derived From Archival Sources, Programme And Schedule Analysis, And Oral History Interviews, The Authors Show How Communist Authorities Managed To Harness The Power Of Television To Shape New Habits And Rituals, Yet Failed To Inspire A Deeper Belief In Communist Ideals. This Book And Their Analysis Contains Important Implications For The Understanding Of Mass Communication In Non-democratic Settings, And Provides Tools For The Analysis Of Media Cultures Globally-- Sabina Mihelj, Loughborough University ; Simon Huxtable, Loughborough University. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "In From Media Systems to Media Cultures: Understanding Socialist Television, Sabina Mihelj and Simon Huxtable delve into the fascinating world of television under communism, using it to test a new framework for comparative media analysis. To understand the societal consequences of mass communication, the authors argue that we need to move beyond the analysis of media systems, and instead focus on the role of the media in shaping cultural ideals and narratives, everyday practices and routines. Drawing on a wealth of original data derived from archival sources, programme and schedule analysis, and oral history interviews, the authors show how communist authorities managed to harness the power of television to shape new habits and rituals, yet failed to inspire a deeper belief in communist ideals. This book and their analysis contains important implications for the understanding of mass communication in non-democratic settings, and provides tools for the analysis of media cultures globally"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Half-title page 3 Series page 4 Title page 5 Copyright page 6 Contents 7 List of Figures 8 List of Tables 10 Acknowledgements 11 List of Abbreviations of Archival Sources 14 1 Introduction 17 Part I Concepts and Contexts 39 2 Comparing Media Cultures 41 3 State Socialist Television in Historical Context 74 4 Television and Varieties of Modernity 108 Part II The Spaces of State Socialist Television 131 5 Publicness 133 6 Privacy 162 7 Transnationalism 193 Part III The Times of State Socialist Television 221 8 Everyday Time 223 9 History 249 10 Extraordinary Time 277 11 Conclusions 310 Methodological Appendix 338 References 346 Index 375 This book is aimed at media, communication and cultural studies scholars as well as readers interested in the cultural history of Eastern Europe. It develops an original framework for the comparative analysis of media cultures, and uses it to provide fascinating insights into the history of television under communist rule.