| This dissertation aims to present an accurate depiction of the culture and society of the 1980s by examining the areas where Reaganism, the dominant ideology of the Reagan Era, was both critiqued and actively undermined by the popular culture of the era. After complicating traditional models of cultural production, this dissertation proposes looking at cultural artifacts as sites where competing notions of identity are formed, articulated, and come into conflict. This dissertation then examines how key elements of Reaganism were expressed in society and then critiqued through mass media products, including the critique of Reaganism's middle class-oriented self image within heavy metal music; of Reaganism's notions of morality, justice, and heroes within graphic arts; and of Reaganism's spirituality within horror fiction. This dissertation proceeds using textual analysis of both historical and cultural texts to explicate sights where Reaganist identity is under contestation. |
