Baudrillard and the Media

"Baudrillard and the Media is the first in-depth critical study of Jean Baudrillard's media theory. Rejecting the common positioning of Baudrillard within the discipline as a postmodernist, it argues instead for the necessity of a fuller reading of his ideas and critical project." "William Merrin offers an overview and evaluation of Baudrillard's key arguments and themes, focusing especially on the organizing principle of his work: his theory of symbolic exchange and critique of the semiotic and of simulation. The book also resituates Baudrillard within media theory, developing an original, critical rereading of his relationship with McLuhanism and arguing for the significance instead of hitherto neglected influences such as Boorstin."--Jacket.