Stealing Innocence: Youth, Corporate Power and the Politics of Culture

By Henry A. Giroux and Na Na

Book Overview

Continuing his ongoing social critique, Henry Giroux now looks at the way corporate culture is encroaching on the lives of children by exploring three myths prevalent in our society: that the triumph of democracy is related to the triumph of the market; that children are unaffected by power and politics; that teaching and learning are no longer linked to improving the world. Looking at childhood beauty pageants, school shootings and the omnipresent nihilistic chic of advertising, Giroux paints a disturbing picture of the world surrounding our children. Ultimately, he turns to the work of Antonio Gramsci, Paulo Freire and Stuart Hall for lessons about how we can reinstitute a realistic childhood for our children.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312239327
• ISBN13: 9780312239329
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
• Length: 197 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A disturbing yet truthful book

Even though we as American parents would be willing to blow the whistle on baby sitters who physically and emotionally harm our children, we have done nothing short of brushing the surface when it comes to pulling the plug on the most dangerous baby sitter of all-popular media. Please read this book, and take the necessary steps to loosen the grip of this menace from your child. Parents have, and always will be, the best influence on our children's reality;they should collaborate with educators on how best to remove this menace and restore childhood to its purity.

Another Winner!

Giroux's book furthers his study of the politics of youth culture which has been continuing through Fugitive Cultures and Channel Surfing. This new book also offers one of the most penetrating discussions of the rise of corporate culture that I have seen. The second half engages the work of Antonio Gramsci, Paulo Freire, and Stuart Hall. In my view this book is a major integration of Giroux's important early theoretical work on the politics of schooling with his more recent work on education and cultural studies. I highly recommend it for anyone involved in cultural work or cultural theory as well as teachers and teacher educators.