Manufacturing Monsters Across Media and Genres: Towards an Interdisciplinary and Multi-Dimensional Research Agenda on the Cultural Construction of the Other

Abstract

This theoretical chapter offers an integrated interdisciplinary model for the study of mediated cultural communication. Firstly, I describe the model and acknowledge preceding approaches that focused on similar issues. I show the intrinsic connections between aesthetic form, production, reception and reproduction, and argue for the necessity of studying all these components together to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complex issues at hand. Secondly, I introduce philosophical underpinnings of an integrated interdisciplinary approach, highlight a series of methods applicable to each component, and argue for the importance of corelating data across alleged disciplinary divides. Finally, the chapter postulates the importance of such a comprehensive approach for a better understanding of, and resistance to, processes and practices of othering across media and genres.