Politics, Society, and the Media, Second Edition

Paul Nesbitt-Larking is Associate Professor and Chair of Political Science at Huron University College in London, Ontario. A regular commentator on television and radio, his publications on Canadian and comparative politics include articles in The Canadian Journal of Political Science, The Journal of Legislative Studies, and Political Psychology. He is co-producer of the DVD, Conversations on Canadian Politics, and is author of the forthcoming book, The Political Psychology of Globalization.

Nesbitt-Larking stick handles contentious debates involving political economy, sociology, and cultural studies with confidence and humour. Politics, Society, and the Media sheds light on the complex relation between power and representation while never losing sight of historical context and the pressing need to challenge common sense interpretations of reality. Written from a Canadian perspective and in clear lucid prose, Nesbitt-Larking shows how dominant social relations of class, race, and gender structure the production, distribution, and consumption of media texts, while simultaneously pointing to the promise of democratic change. This book is a must read for all students of Canadian media and politics.

Nick Baxter-Moore, Chair, Department of Communications, Popular Culture and Film, Brock University:

In Politics, Society, and the Media, Paul Nesbitt-Larking expertly combines approaches drawn from political economy and critical cultural studies to develop a framework for the analysis of the role of mass media in politics (broadly defined) and contemporary society. He introduces often-complex, sophisticated ideas in lively and accessible prose, illustrating them with relevant and recent examples from Canada and elsewhere. In this second edition, he weaves new contributions to central debates in media and communications studies into an already well-organized and comprehensive text. Not content with providing theoretical and empirical insight into the relationships between mass media, society, and politics, Nesbitt-Larking challenges his readers to become more critical consumers of media and provides a number of strategies to encourage them to do so.

Peter Desbarats:
"...it is not only the best introduction available to students of media and communications but is also an essential text for anyone with a serious interest in journalism history, the inner workings of news media and their impact on politics and society in general. Nesbitt-Larking has a rare gift for explaining the intricacies of various communication theories clearly and meaningfully. His special contribution is to relate these theories, most of them put forward by American or European scholars, 'within the context of the essential character of Canadian historical development.' As far as I am aware, this has not been done before, certainly not as competently or as clearly."