Power, Politics and Identity in South African Media

by Adrian Hadland (Editor), Eric Louw (Editor), Simphiwe Sesanti (Editor)

This collection explores the often-overlooked role of media in the shaping of identity and culture in postapartheid South Africa. Interrogating contemporary theory, these essays shed new light on how identities are constructed through the media and provide case studies that illustrate the complex process of identity renegotiation taking place in postapartheid South Africa, giving fresh focus to topics that scholarship has overlooked—such as the pervasive impact of tabloid newspapers. The contributors include both established scholars and new voices, all of whom represent some of South Africa's finest media analysts grappling with one of the country's most vexing issues— who are we?

480 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2008

About the author

I am a professor of journalism at the University of Stirling in the UK after spending almost two decades working as a professional political journalist.