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Movies and Social Science

An Overview of the Debate in Political Science

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The Interplay Between Political Theory and Movies

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Abstract

Political scientists are increasingly interested in popular culture since movies notably reflect on social and political changes and are sometimes seen as mirrors of common ideologies and fears. This introductory chapter gives an overview on the current importance of research of movies in political science—a trend that is often coined as part of the turn towards popular culture in social sciences. This chapter discusses theoretical and empirical approaches to movies, how the usual perception of ‘quality TV’ has changed over the last years and why the new trend towards the interpretation of movies made its way into classrooms.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    There are a few publications on the topic of Benjamin Blümchen as an audio play for children and about attitude towards politics mediated through these plays (Strohmeier 2005). It is controversial how protest and the mayor are portrayed in the audio plays (Emde 2016).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Political Science, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany

    Ulrich Hamenstädt

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  1. Ulrich Hamenstädt
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Correspondence to Ulrich Hamenstädt .

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  1. Institute for Political Science, University of Münster, Muenster, Germany

    Ulrich Hamenstädt

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Hamenstädt, U. (2019). Movies and Social Science. In: Hamenstädt, U. (eds) The Interplay Between Political Theory and Movies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90731-4_1

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