Simulacra and Simulation
Jean Baudrillard
Translated by Sheila Glaser
The first full-length translation in English of an essential work of postmodernist thought
Description
The first full-length translation in English of an essential work of postmodernism.
The publication of Simulacra et Simulation in 1981 marked Jean Baudrillard's first important step toward theorizing the postmodern. Moving away from the Marxist/Freudian approaches that had concerned him earlier, Baudrillard developed in this book a theory of contemporary culture that relies on displacing economic notions of cultural production with notions of cultural expenditure.
Baudrillard uses the concepts of the simulacra—the copy without an original—and simulation. These terms are crucial to an understanding of the postmodern, to the extent that they address the concept of mass reproduction and reproduceability that characterizes our electronic media culture.
Baudrillard's book represents a unique and original effort to rethink cultural theory from the perspective of a new concept of cultural materialism, one that radically redefines postmodern formulations of the body.
Translator Sheila Glaser is an editor at Artforum magazine.
Praise / Awards
"Baudrillard's studies in simulacra and simulation are among his most important work, particularly as they pertain to his concept of postmodernity and analyses of postmodern culture. The English translation of these essays is therefore very welcome."
—Douglas Kellner, University of Texas, Austin
"Simulacra and Simulation is arguably Baudrillard's most important book. In it he moves from a theory of consumer society governed by a 'code' to a general theory of culture that problematizes 'reality.' His idea of the hyperreal informs most discussions."
—Mark Poster, University of California, Irvine
". . . a very accessible introduction to [Baudrillard's] thought."
—The Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory
Look Inside
Contents
The Precession of Simulacra I
History: A Retro Scenario 43
Holocaust 49
The China Syndrome 53
Apocalypse Now 59
The Beaubourg Effect: Implosion and Deterrence 61
Hypermarket and Hypercommodity 75
The Implosion of Meaning in the Media 79
Absolute Advertising, Ground-Zero Advertising 87
Clone Story 95
Holograms 105
Crash 111
Simulacra and Science Fiction 121
The Animals: Territory and Metamorphoses 129
The Remainder 143
The Spiraling Cadaver 149
Value's Last Tango 155
On Nihilism 159
News, Reviews, Interviews
Read:
Simulacra and Simulation reviewed in Entropy Mag
Link | 10/28/2014
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