American Visual Cultures

'American visual cultures' analyses the role of painting, photography, film, television, advertising, journalism and other visual media in the historical development of the United States from the Civil War to the present day. It offers a chronology of debates and developments in US history and traces the social, political and economic factors that have shaped the development of visual forms and practices across time. A general introduction, in which the editors discuss the theoretical and pedagogical approaches shaping the contemporary study of visual culture, with particular reference to the United States, is followed by four sections, each covering a defined chronological period - 1861-1929; 1929-1963; 1963-1980; 1980 to the present. Each section opens with an introduction, giving historical and cultural context and highlighting thematic and pedagogical links between essays.