MECCSA-PGN Executive Committee Members
Iain Robert Smith
University of Nottingham
Institute of Film & Television Studies
Education
2006 – 2009 University of Nottingham
PhD “Remix Cultures: Transcultural Appropriations of American Popular
Culture” (supervised by Professor Roberta Pearson and Dr Paul Grainge)
2004 – 2005 University of Nottingham
MA in Film Studies: Distinction
1999 – 2003 University of Glasgow
MA (Hons.) in English Literature/Film and Television Studies: First Class
Research Interests
Globalisation and Cross Cultural Analysis; Lowbrow & Marginal Cultural Forms; Censorship & Cultural Policy; Copyright & Intellectual Property; Cultural Value & Distinction; Alternative/Independent Cinema(s)
PhD Project
Remix Cultures: Transcultural Appropriations of American Popular
Culture
Theories of globalisation often position American culture as a hegemonic force, travelling through different countries, dominating indigenous cultures and effacing cultural diversity. What exactly happens, however, when these American products are appropriated by other cultures?
My research examines the ways in which non-Western cultures appropriate and make use of American popular culture in their own popular film industries. The thesis explores issues of globalisation, transnational media flow, cultural hybridity & mimicry in such films as Turist Omer Uzay Yolunda (Turkey, 1973), Pembalasan ratu pantai selatan (Indonesia, 1988), Alyas Batman en Robin (Phillipines, 1993), and Kaante (India, 2002); films which appropriate plot, characters and sometimes even footage from American media (Star Trek, Terminator, Batman, and Reservoir Dogs respectively). Drawing on the work of Arjun Appadurai on the cultural dimensions of globalisation, and Rosemary Coombe on the politics of appropriation, my objective is to complicate prevailing notions of American cultural domination and suggest a more nuanced model of transnational flow and interaction.
Ultimately, this dissertation seeks to challenge the binary oppositions made between Eastern and Western cultures. Rather than the so-called clash of civilisations, it is time to pay attention to the overlapping, intersecting nature of cultures and the hybrid, symbiotic relationship between them. Opposing the essentialist positions which envision cultures as ‘pure’ and under threat of being tainted by the ‘other’, it is my intention that this research shall draw attention to the intricate processes of borrowing and exchange through which cultures adapt and evolve.
Publications
Articles:
“Beam me up, Ömer: Transnational media flow and the cultural politics of the Turkish Star Trek remake,” Velvet Light Trap 61 (Spring 2008)
“When Spiderman became Spiderbabe: Pornographic appropriation and the political economy of the softcore parody genre,” Peep Shows: Cult Visual Erotica . Eds. Ernest Mathijs and Xavier Mendik. London: Wallflower Press, 2008
“The Exorcist in Istanbul: Transnational processes of intercultural dialogue within Turkish popular cinema,” Portal: Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies 5 (1) 2008
Editorships:
Editor of special issue on ‘Transnational Cinemas’, Scope: An Online Journal of Film and Television Studies 12 (forthcoming)
Articles Editor & Member of the Editorial Board of Scope: An Online Journal of Film and Television Studies Issues 10 - 12 (forthcoming)
Book Reviews:
Review of More Dirty Looks. Ed. Pamela Church Gibson, Scope: An Online Journal of Film and Television Studies 7 (Feb 2007)
Review of New Punk Cinema. Ed. Nicholas Rombes, Scope: An Online Journal of Film and Television Studies 7 (Feb 2007)
Conference Reports:
Report on Cinema at the Periphery, University of St Andrews. Film International 5 (1) 2007. pp. 95-97
Report on MeCCSA Postgraduate Network Conference, University of West of England. Networks: Magazine of the Art Design Media-Higher Education Academy 2 (Sept 2007)
Selected Conference Papers:
SCMS (Society for Cinema and Media Studies) Annual Conference, Chicago. Mar 2007
“So you think Spiderman and his gang are in Turkey, Captain America? : Transnational media flow and the politics of ‘borrowing’ US popular culture”
2 nd Annual Slash Fiction Conference, DeMontfort University. Feb 2007
“ Brokeback to the Future: Making Hollywood perfectly queer in the Brokeback Mountain fan-trailers”
Fusion Cultures : Memory, Migration, Mobility , University of Greenwich. Dec 2006
“You speak of legends in this day and age? : Transnational processes of appropriation and modernisation in Indonesian popular cinema”
16 th Annual Screen Conference, University of Glasgow. July 2006
“Turkish Star Trek: Transnational media flow and the politics of appropriation”
Invited Guest Speaker, DeMontfort University. Feb 2006
“ Transnational Trash: How cultures around the world have appropriated and used plots, characters, and footage from American cinema and television”
Contact details
E-mail: arxirs @ nottingham.ac.uk
University address:
Institute of Film & Television Studies,
School of American & Canadian Studies,
University of Nottingham,
University Park,
Nottingham,
NG7 2RD,
United Kingdom
Back to Executive Committee page
|
|
|
