Disability Media Studies - by Elizabeth Ellcessor & Bill Kirkpatrick (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Introduces key ideas and offers a sense of the new frontiers and questions in the emerging field of disability media studies

Disability Media Studies articulates the formation of a new field of study, based in the rich traditions of media, cultural, and disability studies. Necessarily interdisciplinary and diverse, this collection weaves together work from scholars from a variety of disciplinary homes, into a broader conversation about exploring media artifacts in relation to disability.

The book provides a comprehensive overview for anyone interested in the study of disability and media today. Case studies include familiar contemporary examples--such as Iron Man 3, Lady Gaga, and Oscar Pistorius--as well as historical media, independent disability media, reality television, and media technologies. The contributors consider disability representation, the role of media in forming cultural assumptions about ability, the construction of disability via media technologies, and how disabled audiences respond to particular media artifacts. The volume concludes with afterwords from two different perspectives on the field--one by disability scholar Rachel Adams, the other by media scholars Mara Mills and Jonathan Sterne--that reflect upon the collection, the ongoing conversations, and the future of disability media studies.

Disability Media Studies is a crucial text for those interested in this flourishing field, and will pave the way for a greater understanding of disability media studies and its critical concepts and conversations.

Review Quotes

"A vital, spot-on collection, assembled with much care and attention, Disability Media Studies encourages readers to & question ones training and reach toward interdisciplinarity."-- "Petra Kuppers, author of Studying Disability Arts and Culture and The Scar of Visibility"

"An important contribution is Ellcessors chapter on conceptualizing access to media not only in relation to consumption but also in relation to production."-- "Choice"

About the Author

Elizabeth Ellcessor (Editor)
Elizabeth Ellcessor is Associate Professor in Media Studies at the University of Virginia and a Senior Faculty Fellow at the Miller Center. She is the author of Restricted Access: Media, Disability, and the Politics of Participation and co-editor of Disability Media Studies.

Bill Kirkpatrick (Editor)
Bill Kirkpatrick is Associate Professor of Communication at Denison University.