Containing new thinking and original surveys, "Media and Cultural Theory" brings together leading international scholars to address key issues and debates within media and cultural studies. Through the use of contemporary media and film texts such as "Bridget Jones' Diary" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and using case studies of the US and the UK after 9/11, James Curran and David Morley examine central topics including: - media representations of the new woman in contemporary society - the creation of self in lifestyle media - the nature of globalization - the rise of digital actors and media. Ideal as a course reader, with each essay covering a different major area or advance in original research, "Media and Cultural Theory" is global in its reach. Through its engagement with broad questions, it is an invaluable book that can be applied to the studies of media and cultural studies students the English-speaking world over