This is a collection of studies conducted in cross-cultural collaboration over the course of ten years that theorizes "youth fantasy" as manifested through the media of TV, film and computer games. The authors employ both Lacanian and Kleinian psychoanalytic concepts to attempt to make sense of teen culture and the influence of mass media. The collection includes case studies of "X-Files" fans, the influence of computer games and the "Lara Croft" phenomenon, and the reception of Western television by Tanzanian youth. The authors see this book as a much-needed reconciliation between cultural studies and Lacanian psychoanalysis, and attempt to highlight why Lacan is important to note when exploring youth fantasy and interest in the media, especially in shows like "X-Files".
JAN JAGODZINSKI is a Professor in the Department of Secondary Education, University of Alberta. He is the author of Pedagogical Desire: Authority, Seduction, Transference, and the Question of Ethics and Postmodern Dilemmas: Outrageous Essays in Art & Art Education.
Introduction: Youth Identity and Fantasy Formation Violence and Generation X: How the New Right is Managing the 'Moral Panic' through Television and Teen Films The National 'Thing': Reception of Western Television by Select Tanzanian Youth Fantasies of Media Consumerism Among Select Privileged Youth Youth Fantasies: The X-Files Taxi Orange: The Fantasy of Provincialism and Communitarianism within Globalization 'Youthful' Computer Games: The Lara Croft Phenomenon Conclusion: Are the Kids Alright?
'Provides rich insights for educators and counsellors so that no one concerned with youth or interested in Lacanian theory or postmodernity can afford to do without.' - Mark Bracher, Kent State University, USA
Brigitte Hipfl, Kristin Loftsdóttir, University of Klagenfurt) Hipfl, Brigitte (Associate Professor, University of Iceland) Loftsdottir, Kristin (Professor of Anthropology