Le 12 décembre de 20:00 à 22:00 à Amsterdam...

Spui 25
In collaboration with the Illustere School (Faculty of Humanities) UvA
Lezing/College
“Big Brother America” is not only a world power that monitors global communication, but also an entertainment industry that dominates global culture. What is America's cultural role in the modern world? With Joyce Goggin, George Blaustein, Jaap Kooijman and Ruud Janssens.
Inspired by the recent NSA controversy concerning the tapping of phones and the monitoring of e-mail communication, we will explore how this latest revelation challenges or confirms the transatlantic relationship between the US and Europe, from a number of different angles.
While there is clearly a need for policy to protect privacy in the digital age, our discussion will focus on the cultural role of America in the modern world. “Big Brother America” is not only a world power that monitors global communication, but also an entertainment industry that dominates global culture.
By connecting the political actions of the nation-state USA to the cultural force of Hollywood and American television, we will explore how these two realms are intertwined.
How do these recent developments relate to narratives of espionage from the Cold War era to contemporary pop-cultural series such as Homeland? In what way does America continue to present itself as “exceptional” while simultaneously claiming to promote universal values? And why does the NSA controversy seem to have had remarkably little effect on both anti-American and pro-American sentiments in the Netherlands?
About the speakers
George Blaustein is Assistant Professor in American Studies at the University of Amsterdam. He teaches American cultural history, with attention to international perspectives of the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. His research has focused on post-WWII American occupations in Europe and transatlantic cultural relations.

Joyce Goggin is Associate Professor in English Literature at the University of Amsterdam, where she teaches literature, film, and media. Her research focuses on gambling and the market in various media.

Ruud Janssens is professor and chair of American Studies at the University of Amsterdam. His research focuses on the history of American intelligence and security agencies.

Jaap Kooijman is Associate Professor in Media Studies at the University of Amsterdam. The revised and extended edition of his book Fabricating the Absolute Fake: America in Contemporary Pop Culture was recently published by Amsterdam University Press.
All speakers are members of the America in Global Popular Culture and/or America in the World research groups of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Amsterdam
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