Framing Class: Media Representations of Wealth and Poverty in America

by Diana Kendall

Overview

Framing Class explores how the media, including television, film, and news, depict wealth and poverty in the United States. Fully updated and revised throughout, the second edition of this groundbreaking book now includes discussions of new media, updated media sources, and provocative new examples from movies and television, such as The Real Housewives series and media portrayals of the new poor and corporate executives in the recent recession.

The book introduces the concepts of class and media framing to students and analyzes how the media portray various social classes, from the elite to the very poor. Its accessible writing and powerful examples make it an ideal text or supplement for courses in sociology, American studies, and communications.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442202252
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	04/16/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	310
File size:	605 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Diana Kendall is professor of sociology at Baylor University where she was named an Outstanding Professor. She is the author of numerous books, including The Power of Good Deeds and Members Only, as well as two bestselling textbooks, Sociology in Our Times and Social Problems in a Diverse Society.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Class Action in the Media
Chapter 2: Twenty-four-Karat Gold Frames: Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
Chapter 3: Gilded Cages: Media Stories of How the Mighty Have Fallen
Chapter 4: Fragile Frames: The Poor and Homeless
Chapter 5: Tarnished Metal Frames: The Working Class and the Working Poor
Chapter 6: Splintered Wooden Frames: The Middle Class
Chapter 7: Framing Class, Vicarious Living, and Conspicuous Consumption
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

The second edition of Framing Class is a real find! Ideal for classroom use: comprehensive, accessible, and engaging.

Abby L. Ferber

Praise for the first edition:

Framing Class provides an interesting, and previously understudied, look at class as shaped by popular culture. Kendall has collected a wonderfully detailed and significant data set, which should recommend this book to sociologists and communications/media scholars, as well as undergraduate courses in social stratification, social problems, or sociology of popular culture.

Susan Alexander

A provocative and innovative book! Politicians pontificate on 'class warfare,' yet know little about class realities that savvy social scientist Diana Kendall probes in depth. With a critical eye, Kendall assesses the validity of media framing of upper, middle, and working class Americans’ lives, past and present. Remarkably little studied in contemporary social science and investigative journalism, U.S. class images and experiences finally get the in-depth and comparative attention they deserve.

Joe R. Feagin

Framing Class explains how media shape our (mis)conceptions of the class structure. An insightful, gracefully written, and entertaining book.

Dennis Gilbert

Praise for the first edition:

Kendall accomplishes something significant with her book. Very well written and organized, the book uses language that is readily accessible most undergraduates. It should find a lasting place within the critical media studies literature.

Choice Reviews

A provocative and innovative book! Politicians pontificate on 'class warfare,' yet know little about class realities that savvy social scientist Diana Kendall probes in depth. With a critical eye, Kendall assesses the validity of media framing of upper, middle, and working class Americans’ lives, past and present. Remarkably little studied in contemporary social science and investigative journalism, U.S. class images and experiences finally get the in-depth and comparative attention they deserve.

Joe Feagin

Kendall accomplishes something significant with her book. Very well written and organized, the book uses language that is readily accessible most undergraduates. It should find a lasting place within the critical media studies literature.

Choice