This second edition of Cultural Theory provides a concise introduction to cultural theory, placing major figures, traditional concepts, and contemporary themes within a sharp conceptual framework.

• Provides a student-friendly introduction to what can often be a complex field of study
• Updates the first edition in response to reader feedback and to the changing nature of the field
• Includes additional coverage of theorists from the classical period to include Nietzsche and DuBois
• Introduces entirely new chapters on race and gender theory, and the body
• Considers themes that have become more important in theoretical activity in recent years such as computers and virtual reality, cosmopolitanism, and performance theory
• Draws on theories and theorists from continental Europe as well as the English-speaking world