The Philosophy of Spike Lee (The Philosophy of Popular Culture)

Over his twenty-plus year tenure in Hollywood, Spike Lee has produced a number of controversial films that unapologetically confront sensitive social issues, particularly those of race relations and discrimination. Through his honest portrayals of life's social obstacles, he challenges the public to reflect on the world's problems and divisions. The innovative director created a name for himself with feature films such as Do the Right Thing (1989) and Malcolm X (1992), and with documentaries such as 4 Little Girls (1997) and When the Levees Broke (2006), breaking with Hollywood's reliance on cultural stereotypes to portray African Americans in a more realistic light. The director continues to produce poignant films that address some of modern society's most important historical movements and events. In The Philosophy of Spike Lee, editor Mark T. Conard and an impressive list of contributors delve into the rich philosophy behind this filmmaker's extensive work. Not only do they analyze the major themes of race and discrimination that permeate Lee's productions, but also examine other philosophical ideas that are found in his films, ideas such as the nature of time, transcendence, moral motivation, self-constitution, and justice. The authors specialize in a variety of academic disciplines that range from African American Studies to literary and cultural criticism and Philosophy. Preface Justice, value, and the nature of evil. The symbolism of blood in Clockers / Douglas McFarland The prostitution trap of elite sport in He got game / Jason Holt and Robert Pitter Aristotle and MacIntyre on Justice in 25th Hour / Mark T. Conard We can't get off the bus: a commentary on Spike Lee and moral motivation / Gabriella Beckles-Raymond Monsters and moralism in Summer of Sam / R. Barton Palmer Race, sexuality, and community. (Still) fighting the power: public space and the unspeakable privacy of the other in Do the right thing / Elizabeth Hope Finnegan Coworking in the kingdom of culture: identity and community in the films of Spike Lee / Charles F. Peterson Feminists and "freaks": She's gotta have it and Girl / Karen D. Hoffman The dialectic of King and X in Do the right thing / Michael Silberstein Fevered desires and interracial intimacies in Jungle fever / Ronald R. Sundstrom Bamboozled: philosophy through blackface / Dan Flory Time, the subject, and transcendence. Transcendence and sublimity in Spike Lee's signature shot / Jerold J. Abrams Economies of time in Clockers / Richard Gilmore Rethinking the first person: autobiography, authorship, and the contested self in Malcolm X / David LaRocca. Kentucky has a rich culinary tradition with distinctive regional recipes that reflect the unique heritage of the Commonwealth. Ten years after the publication of Kentucky's Best: Fifty Years of Great Recipes, Linda Allison-Lewis's celebrated first collec