Böcker av Marcel Danesi

The Semiotics of Love brings together work on early symbolism, literary practices, and contemporary communication on the theme of romance and the idea of love to forge an understanding of the semiotic-cultural side of romance.

Food, no matter of what kind, is a substance required for survival. Stripped of any cultural meanings, it is a primary means of biological nourishment and sustenance. But in a cultural context, the types of food, how they are eaten, what social rituals are involved in etiquette, and so on, take on a greater value. In other words, outside of a survival context, food is much more than substance for ensuring such survival. It constitutes a meaning system imbued with subtle unconscious cultural connotations of all kinds. We eat, first and foremost, to survive. But in a social ambiance, food takes on significance that transcends this biological function, affecting even our perceptions of edibility. In America, we do not normally eat insects, by and large, even though they would provide nourishment. We do not eat them because of the negative perceptions and emotions we have projected onto insects. In other cultures, insects are often considered to be a delicacy. Clearly, food tastes are cultural tastes. So, where does the fast food phenomenon fit into this line of reasoning, given that it seems to go against historically-based cultural systems of meaning? This book will attempt to answer this question by examining the origin, evolution and meanings of the fast food phenomenon, from its neurological and social meanings to its recreational ones. Does the contemporary penchant for fast food exist in the brain, or is it a fabrication of a consumerist culture gone insane, as the movie The Gods Must Be Crazy so eloquently and satirically emphasized? Much has been written about the phenomenon of fast food, given the importance of eating to health and cultural identity. The goal in this book is to go in a slightly different, but hopefully significant, direction; namely, to examine the meanings of fast food in relation to the birth and spread of mass consumerist society, and its role in future societies. Fast food originated in amusement and circus culture, but it soon spread to society via urbanization, the automobile, and the need for quick and easy solutions to almost everything, including the preparation and eating of food. The book argues that, in the end, we are what we have made ourselves to be. Fast food is of our own making, not something imposed cleverly by some master capitalist plan. We eat it because it is tasty and easily prepared. The cultural meanings of fast food might even be intertwined with an innate pleasure principle, into which fast foods seem to tap rather effectively. Above all else, fast food is a mirror of the contemporary worlds penchant for a quick-and-easy approach to virtually everything, for better or worse. Given its proliferation to all sectors and levels of society, fast food has changed the social paradigm of eating everywhere. The book will conclude by assessing what the implications of this paradigm for the future are.

Positioning youth culture as a 20th century social experiment that is coming to an end, Marcel Danesi discusses the various musically-defined eras that saw rise to hippie culture, punk, disco, and the hip-hop movement, among other social groups. The chapters explore how these generations were instrumental in the fight against racial discrimination, gender discrimination, and sexual repression.

This book examines the use of cryptography in both real and fictional crimes - a topic that is rarely broached. It discusses famous crimes, such as that of the Zodiac Killer, that revolve around cryptic messages and current uses of encryption that make solving cases harder and harder.

Using the Dexter saga of novels and television programs as its basis, the book argues that a "Dexter Syndrome" has emerged whereby we no longer see a difference between real and fictional serial killers.

In this user-friendly dictionary of popular culture, over 800 A-to-Z entries provide historical information, definitions, and brief commentaries about the theories, media forms, fads, celebrities and icons, genres, and commonly-used terms relevant to the study of popular culture. Includes cross-references and a thematic table of contents.

Presents a listing of media concepts, figures, and techniques with illustrations and historical commentaries. This dictionary includes terms related to psychology, linguistics, aesthetics, computer science, semiotics, culture theory, anthropology, and those that have relevance in media studies.

The most coherent treatment yet of these fields, the Encyclopedia of Media and Communication promises to be the standard reference text for the next generation of media and communication students and scholars.

Presents an introduction to the field of cultural semiotics. This book features practical examples of how semiotics can be used. It is suitable for those who want to understand the whys and wherefores of semiotics.

Focuses on sophisticated grammar topics that are needed to constructing longer, more complex sentences. This book is suitable for advanced students of Italian who have the foundation of good language skills and want to take their knowledge to the next level.

Danesi studies the culture, its symbols, myths, and problems of teenage culture as both a serious academic and a parent needing to understand.

This compact, practical research manual that will help students, scholars, and general readers alike unlock the significance of the terminology, concepts, and historical movements of semiotics and related fields.

30 lessions, each one introducing a conversational theme centred around a crossword puzzle. An ideal tool for learning Italian that will provide a dynamic and enjoyable course supplement appropriate for both beginning and more advanced students.