TY - JOUR
T1 - Researching glossy topics
T2 - the case of the academic study of celebrity
AU - Beer, David
AU - Penfold-Mounce, Ruth
PY - 2010/11/5
Y1 - 2010/11/5
N2 - The launch of Celebrity Studies journal represents an ideal opportunity to reflect upon the general trajectory of celebrity as an academic topic. This is a particularly pressing task given the increasingly uncertain socio-economic conditions within which we find ourselves. To this end, we draw upon the recorded outputs of the academy to provide a quantitative visualisation of the study of celebrity. To complement this statistical overview we weave in a cursory narrative that revolves around selected works that have shaped the study of celebrity (see also Ferris 2007). The piece approaches celebrity as an example of what we refer to as ‘glossy topics’, the study of which might be found to be increasingly difficult as a consequence of the economic downturn and the burgeoning necessity, across many national contexts, for disciplines to be vocal and explicit about their purpose, value and direction.
AB - The launch of Celebrity Studies journal represents an ideal opportunity to reflect upon the general trajectory of celebrity as an academic topic. This is a particularly pressing task given the increasingly uncertain socio-economic conditions within which we find ourselves. To this end, we draw upon the recorded outputs of the academy to provide a quantitative visualisation of the study of celebrity. To complement this statistical overview we weave in a cursory narrative that revolves around selected works that have shaped the study of celebrity (see also Ferris 2007). The piece approaches celebrity as an example of what we refer to as ‘glossy topics’, the study of which might be found to be increasingly difficult as a consequence of the economic downturn and the burgeoning necessity, across many national contexts, for disciplines to be vocal and explicit about their purpose, value and direction.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79956155902&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/19392397.2010.511503
DO - 10.1080/19392397.2010.511503
M3 - Comment/debate
SN - 1939-2397
VL - 1
SP - 360
EP - 365
JO - Celebrity Studies
JF - Celebrity Studies
IS - 3
ER -