Cultural Icons

The Eiffel Tower - once a proud symbol of industrial development, now an alluring come-on to a romantic vacation in Paris. Nelson Mandela - originally a grassroots hero of the liberation from apartheid, recently featured in the magazine article "The Power of Brand Mandela." This book explores these and other contemporary cultural icons that, over time, have been endowed with a complex and powerful layering of meanings. The authors analyze the way in which such icons, whether objects or persons, living or mythical, are constructed and disseminated. They also critically investigate the implications, in semiotic and cultural terms, of the accretion of meaning and popular recognition attached to them, their moral and aesthetic ambiguity, and their enduring appeal to a fascinated public. This slim and provocative volume is ideal for courses in the many disciplines addressing cultural studies, popular culture, and semiotics.