ANTHROPOLOGY AND ITS CONTRIBUTIONS TO STUDIES OF MASS-MEDIA

Given the presence of mass media in virtually all cultures, the media deserve greater attention from anthropologists than they have received . This article examines the current state of anthropological studies o f mass media, beginning with the reasons for anthropologists' past ret icence about the media, and argues that anthropological methods are we ll suited to advancing the questions now at the forefront of media stu dies. These questions include consumers' heterogeneous uses and interp retations of media, and the social, cultural, and political contexts i n which media are embedded. Anthropologists have contributed to these discussions by investigating the force that media representations carr y in the construction of contemporary imaginations, identities, and po wer relations. In addition to such audience-related concerns, other to pics such as the divergent roles of producers, the existence of 'paral lel texts', and the contexts of media participation (including physica l settings, media assemblages, and activities surrounding media consum ption) are beginning to receive attention, and should be explored furt her. In carrying out this work, we need to look more carefully at the role and construction of pleasure. We must also take care to distingui sh more precisely between the nature and salience of mass media and ot her forms of expressive culture.