International Library of Sociology Series

Cultural Rights aims to combine sociology of culture and cultural studies approaches to provide an innovative interpretation of contemporary culture. It develops Walter Benjamin's arguments on the effects of mechanical reproduction by seeing what has happened to originality and authenticity in postmodern culture. One aspect of this culture is that reproduction and simulation have become listless, so that distinguishing what is real from what is fabricated is a problem of daily life for everyone. Celia Lury establishes a clear framework for studying these matters by comparing a regime of cultural rights ordered by copyright, authorship and originality with one defined by trademark, branding and simulation. This move is illustrated through concise and accessible histories of three major cultural technologies - print, broadcasting and information technology - and the presentation of research into the contemporary culture industry. The gendered dimensions of this transformation are explored by looking at the significance of the category of women in the process of cultural reproduction.

Prosthetic Culture

by Celia Lury

Published 4 December 1997

Celia Lury describes the body's ability to act outside itself both mechanically and perceptually. She draws on a wide range of examples including phototherapy, accounts of false memory syndrome, family albums and Benetton adverts.

Brands

by Celia Lury

Published 30 July 2004

Brands are everywhere: in the air, on the high-street, in the kitchen, on television and, maybe even on your feet. But what are they?

The brand, that point of connection between company and consumer, has become one of the key cultural forces of our time and one of the most important vehicles of globalization. This book offers a detailed and innovative analysis of the brand

Illustrated with many examples, the book argues that brands:
* mediate the supply and demand of products and services in a global economy
* frame the activities of the market by functioning as an interface
* communicate interactively, selectively promoting and inhibiting communication between producers and
consumers
* operate as a public currency while being legally protected as private property in law
* introduce sensation, qualities and affect into the quantitative calculations of the market
* organize the logics of global flows of products, people, images and events.

This book will be essential reading for students of sociology, cultural studies and consumption.