American Cold War Culture

Although it is fifty years since the height of the Cold War many of the characteristics that shaped that era are back. Surveillance, paranoia, and nuclear threats are very much a part of our post-9/11 world, and cultural critics and politicians are drawing parallels between the threat of communism in the 1950s and 1960s and the present-day "axis of evil." The essays in this volume, written by prominent theorists and historians, guide the reader through recent and established theories regarding the Cold War. The contributors also discuss a number of previously neglected themes, films, and texts. Divided into two parts ("Cultural Themes" and "Cultural Forms"), the book features chapters on gender and sexuality; race; politics; the family; and culture.