Stealing innocence : youth, corporate power, and the politics of culture

Continuing his ongoing and social critique, Henry Giroux now looks at the way corporate culture is encroaching on the lives of children by exploring three myths prevalent in our society: that the triumph of democracy is related to the triumph of the market; that children are unaffected by power and politics; that teaching and learning are no longer linked to improving the world. Looking at childhood beauty pageants, school shootings and the omnipresent nihilistic chic of advertising, Giroux paints a disturbing picture of the world surrounding our children. Ultimately, he turns to the work of Antonio Gramsci, Paulo Freire and Stuart Hall for lessons about how we can reinstitute a realistic childhood for our children
Continuing his ongoing social critique, Henry Giroux looks at the way corporate culture is encroaching on the lives of children by exploring three myths prevalent in our society: that the triumph of democracy is related to the triumph of the market; that children are unaffected by power and politics; and that teaching and learning are no longer linked to improving the world. Looking at childhood beauty pageants, school shootings, and the omnipresent nihilistic chic of advertising, Giroux paints a disturbing picture of the world surrounding our children. Ultimately, he turns to the work of Antonio Gramsci, Paulo Freire, and Stuart Hall for lessons on how we can reinstitute a realistic childhood for our children.
Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Talble of Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 INTRODUCTION Childhood Innocence and the Politics of Corporate Culture 11 SECTION I CORPORATE POWER AND THE CULTURE OF EVERYDAY LIFE 46 ONE Nymphet Fantasies: Child Beauty Pageants and the Politics of Innocence 47 TWO Heroin Chic and the Politics of Seduction 73 THREE Kids for Sale: Corporate Culture and the Challenge of Public Schooling 90 SECTION I I CULTURAL P O L I T I C S AND PUBLIC PEDAGOGY 113 FOUR Radical Education and Culture in theWork of AntonioGramsci 114 FIVE Paulo Freire, Prophetic Thought, and the Politics of Hope 142 SIX StuartHall and the Politics of Education 162 Notes 178 Index 198 Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction....Pages 1-35 Front Matter....Pages 37-37 Nymphet Fantasies: Child Beauty Pageants and the Politics of Innocence....Pages 39-64 Heroin Chic and the Politics of Seduction....Pages 65-81 Kids for Sale: Corporate Culture and the Challenge of Public Schooling....Pages 83-105 Front Matter....Pages 107-107 Radical Education and Culture in the Work of Antonio Gramsci....Pages 109-136 Paulo Freire, Prophetic Thought, and the Politics of Hope....Pages 137-156 Stuart Hall and the Politics of Education....Pages 157-172 Back Matter....Pages 173-197 This books explores the seemingly separate but interrelated nature of three myths, all of which function to limit substantive democracy, the welfare of children, and socially engaged scholarship.