Synopses & Reviews
Most would agree that American culture changed dramatically from the 1960s to the 1980s. Yet the 1970s, the decade andldquo;in between,andrdquo; is still somehow thought of as a cultural wasteland. In
The Seventies Now Stephen Paul Miller debunks this notion by examining a wide range of political and cultural phenomenaandmdash;from the long shadow cast by Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal to Andy Warhol and the disco sceneandmdash;identifying in these phenomena a pivotal yet previously unidentified social trend, the movement from institutionalized external surveillance to the widespread internalization of such practices.
and#9;The concept of surveillance and its attendant social ramifications have been powerful agents in U.S. culture for many decades, but in describing how during the 1970s Americans learned to andldquo;surveyandrdquo; themselves, Miller shines surprising new light on such subjects as the womenandrsquo;s movement, voting rights enforcement, the Ford presidency, and environmental legislation. He illuminates the significance of what he terms andldquo;microperiodsandrdquo; and analyzes relevant themes in many of the decadeandrsquo;s major filmsandmdash;such as The Deer Hunter, Network, Jaws, Star Wars, and Apocalypse Nowandmdash;and in the literature of writers including John Ashbery, Toni Morrison, Adrienne Rich, and Sam Shepard. In discussing the reverberations of the 1969 Stonewall riots, technological innovations, the philosophy of Michel Foucault, and a host of documents and incidents, Miller shows how the 1970s marked an important period of transition, indeed a time of many transitions, to the world we confront at the end of the millennium.
and#9;The Seventies Now will interest students and scholars of cultural studies, American history, theories of technology, film and literature, visual arts, and gay and lesbian studies.
Review
andldquo;Stephen Paul Miller is the most radical poet-critic I know. In this dazzling volume, he establishes principles of inclusivity that trap and illuminate contemporary poetry, art, and politics. . . . His research will remain a monument to cultural pluralism and a grand polemic against the politics of deletion as a cover-up.andrdquo;andmdash;David Shapiro, author of Lateness: A Book of Poems
Review
andldquo;Millerandrsquo;s commentary on the role of spies, lies, and audiotape in the Watergate era brilliantly resonates with the analysis of various references, at all levels of the culture, to new technologies of surveillance and new modes of recording history.andrdquo;andmdash;John Brenkman, author of Culture and Domination
Review
andldquo;Miller shows why and how we need to think comprehensively about the seventiesandmdash;now. Interdisciplinary wit and a bold intelligence bring together poetry, painting, politics, and popular culture in a broad survey that is provocative, engaging, and timely for our posthistorical age.andrdquo;andmdash;W. J. T. Mitchell, author of The Last Dinosaur Book: The Life and Times of a Cultural Iconandldquo;
Synopsis
Explores the practice of surveillance the America of the 1970s through the discussion of a wide range of political and cultural phenomena--Watergate, the Ford presidency, Andy Warhol, disco music, the major films of the 70s, writers in the 70s (particular
About the Author
“Miller’s commentary on the role of spies, lies, and audiotape in the Watergate era brilliantly resonates with the analysis of various references, at all levels of the culture, to new technologies of surveillance and new modes of recording history.”—John Brenkman, author of Culture and Domination“Miller shows why and how we need to think comprehensively about the seventies—now. Interdisciplinary wit and a bold intelligence bring together poetry, painting, politics, and popular culture in a broad survey that is provocative, engaging, and timely for our posthistorical age.”—W. J. T. Mitchell, author of The Last Dinosaur Book: The Life and Times of a Cultural Icon““Stephen Paul Miller is the most radical poet-critic I know. In this dazzling volume, he establishes principles of inclusivity that trap and illuminate contemporary poetry, art, and politics. . . . His research will remain a monument to cultural pluralism and a grand polemic against the politics of deletion as a cover-up.”—David Shapiro, author of Lateness: A Book of Poems