American culture, American tastes : social change and the 20th century /

Kammen, Michael G,

American culture, American tastes : social change and the 20th century / [print] Michael Kammen. - New York : Basic Books, (c)1999. - xxvii, 320 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm.



Coming to terms with defining terms -- Culture democratized: distinction or degradation? -- Consumerism, Americanism, and the phasing of popular culture -- Popular culture in transition--and in its prime -- Blurring the boundaries between taste levels -- Cultural criticism and the transformation of cultural authority -- The gradual emergence of mass culture and its critics -- Mass culture in more recent times: passive and/or participatory? -- Historians and the problem of popular culture in recent times -- Meetings of the minds? Moving beyond customary categories.




Popular culture--History--United States--20th century.
Social change--History--United States--20th century.
Consumption (Economics)--Social aspects--History--United States--20th century.

E169.K15.A447 1999 E169