J. Kooijman

International Education, the Internet, and the "Three Kings" Experiment.

The current project linked students in three universities in a guided discussion of the movie, Three Kings. The goals were to assess the viability of having students from three different courses, in three different universities, in three different countries find common ground to have intellectual discussions via the Internet and to assess how responsive students would be to answering structured questions as a stimulus for intellectual discussions. We also wanted to understand how the Three Kings was perceived by students in the United States, England, and the Netherlands. Overall, there were 19 students who contributed a total of 217 conversational threads (distinct entries). Conversations were lively and interactive. Content analysis revealed that race relations within the United States, U.S. policy in Iraq, and the depiction of American values were the “big” global messages of the film.

...And the pursuit of national health : the incremental strategy toward national health insurance in the United States of America

Introduction: Another Exception to the Rule. I: The Early Years. II: National Health Insurance and the Social Security Act. III: More Hospitals, More Doctors, More Specialists. IV: Toward Hospital Insurance for the Elderly. V: Enacting Medicare and Medicaid. VI: Toward National Health Insurance? Conclusion: The Promise of Incrementalism. Bibliography

Outside in America George Michael’s Music Video, Public Sex and Global Pop Culture

Six months after his controversial arrest for ‘lewd conduct’ at a men’s public restroom in Beverly Hills, British pop star George Michael released the song and music video ‘Outside’ which can be seen as an explicit commentary on the controversy. In this article, I read the music video in three ways: 1) as part of the star-text of George Michael, repositioning him as an openly gay megastar; 2) as a British/European critique on American heteronormativity and the criminalization of public sex; and 3) as a marketing tool to sell George Michael and his music on a global level.

Turn the beat around: Richard Dyer's 'In defence of disco' revisited

Published in 1979, Richard Dyer’s ‘In Defence of Disco’ is one of the best-read but relatively little-used essays in pop music studies, queer studies and cultural studies. With his essay, not only does Dyer demystify the ‘authenticity’ of music genres such as folk and rock, but also validates and celebrates the in authenticity of disco by recognizing its political potential. This review article revisits Dyer’s ‘In Defence of Disco’ and subsequently discusses those few academic works that do build upon and expand his original arguments, proving the significance of this radical essay.

The True Voice of Whitney Houston: Commodification, Authenticity, and African American Superstardom

Taking its title from the 1994 AT&T commercial starring Whitney Houston, this article examines how Houston’s voice has functioned in the construction of her star persona from her 1985 debut album to her premature death on 11 February 2012, recognising three phases: the formative years (1985–1991); the commercial and artistic high point (1992); and the years of decline (1993–2012). Throughout her career, Houston has been reduced to her vocal instrument, defining both her success (when her voice was most powerful) and her decline (when her voice failed). Houston is similar to other female African American superstars, like Diana Ross and Beyoncé, in the way she has adopted a glamorous crossover pop image that transcends musical categories connoted as ‘black’ such as soul and R&B, often resulting in the criticism that she has ‘sold out’ or is ‘too white’. Yet Houston differs from Ross and Beyoncé in the way her voice is most dominant in the construction of her star persona. Rather than analysing her vocal performances, this article focuses on how her voice plays a pivotal role in Houston’s ‘star image’ and ‘metanarrative of stardom’ by analysing how her voice is emphasised on the production side (albums, music videos, film) as well as the reception side (critical review, tabloid press). Houston’s from-triumph-to-tragedy narrative reveals the tensions that exist between commodification and ‘authenticity’ in the construction of the star persona, which continues to be discussed in racial terms.

On the move: Twentieth anniversary editorial of the European Journal of Cultural Studies

Twenty years of the European Journal of Cultural Studies is a cause for celebration. We do so with a festive issue that comes together with our first free open access top articles in three areas that readers have sought us out for: postfeminism, television beyond textual analysis and cultural labour in the creative industries. The issue opens with freshly commissioned introductory essays to these three thematic areas by key authors in those fields. In addition, the issue offers new articles showcasing the range of the broad field of cultural studies today, including pieces on the politics of co-working, punk in China, Black British women on YouTube, trans-pedagogy and fantasy sports gameplay, featuring work by emerging as well as established scholars. Our editorial introduction to this celebratory issue offers reflections on how both the journal and the field of cultural studies have developed, and on our thoughts and ambitions for the future within the current conjuncture as we ‘move on’ as a new editorial team.